


Invictus Unconquered

by SpectreKnight



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:44:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpectreKnight/pseuds/SpectreKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's about not giving up. That no matter how dark or unconquerable things may appear to be, there's always hope. And as they say, the night is always darkest just before the dawn." "And we're going to live to see that dawn, Skipper. I just know it." "Roger that, LC." Novelization of Mass Effect 3. MShep/Miranda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Timely Escape

****Story Title:** ** Invictus Unconquered

**Pairing:** MShepard/Miranda

**Author:** Knights-Honour  
 **Disclaimer:** Mass Effect universe © BioWare  
Any character you haven't heard of © me

**Author’s Notes:** You might have noticed that this chapter has a new Title.

Seeing as how I’m going to re-tell ME3, I thought these chaps deserved a branch out from the original spin-off, so that those who only want to read the short stories can continue to do so and those who want to read this can do that.

I also plan to release this on its own (and in fact, have now done so seeing as you’re currently reading it)

Also thanks to my new Betas; Unit Omicron and dIvInE SeReNiTy for answering my call of aid. I’m looking forward to a long and prosperous partnership with you both!

For those that are curious, X’s background is Spacer/War Hero/Soldier class.

He’s a Paragon for the most part (including all major decisions in the games) but doesn’t hesitate to go Renegade on your ass if you piss him off/threaten him or his friends and family or betray him and such.

His LI in ME was Ashley, but after Ash’s rejection of him on Horizon in ME2, he unexpectedly fell in love with Miranda.

And finally he’s ranked as a Staff Commander in my stories, having received a promotion after the Battle of the Citadel.

Now let us begin our journey!

**A Timely Escape**

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System_**  

 

The atmosphere around the third planet of the Sol system was abuzz with a hive of activity. 

Alliance ships of every size, from massive dreadnoughts to tiny fighter crafts, were gathering together in large numbers as aboard each and every one them, their crews busily preparing for what was to come.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / in Orbit around Earth / SSV Orizaba_ **

 

From the holographic display in the CIC of his ship, a grey-haired man monitored the fleets as they came together. The man, bearing a neatly trimmed goatee and a prominent scar on his right cheek, was in his early fifties. But his aging didn't detract from his image of nobility. He stood tall and straight, still maintaining discipline despite his waning years. His uniform was immaculate, adorned with various medals and ribbons that he’d earned throughout his distinguished career. 

“Admiral?” his XO, Captain Maxwell Knight, approached him. 

“Yes, Captain?” Admiral Steven Hackett, one of the Alliance Navy’s top ranking officers and commanding officer of the Fifth Fleet, turned to face the younger man. 

“Admiral Anderson’s just contacted us, sir. He’s asking to speak with you.” 

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll be in the Comm. room if anyone needs me.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“Steven,” a holographic David Anderson, the once human representative of the Citadel Council turned Alliance Admiral, greeted Hackett from the dreadnaught’s Quantum Entanglement Communicator. 

“David,” Hackett returned the salute. 

“How bad is it?” Anderson queried his colleague, getting straight down to business. 

“Bad. We’ve just lost contact with two of our deep space outposts. There’s something massive on long-range scanners.” 

“Is this what Shepard warned us about?” 

“I’d stake my life on it.” 

“How long do we have?” 

“Not long. I’ve sent word. The Fleets are mobilizing as we speak.” 

Anderson shook his head. “God help us all.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

****

**_Location: Sol System / Local Cluster / Earth / North America / Canada / Vancouver / Alliance HQ_ **

 

The midday sun shone down over the city of Vancouver. Much like the ships in orbit around humanity’s birth planet, the city was busy. People bustled about in the streets, sky-cars zipped in and around the many skyscrapers that were a predominate feature in the majority of Earth’s cities in this day and age. On the rooftop garden of one such building, a blonde-headed, six year old young boy - clad in a grey hoodie and black tracksuit pants - was playing. An SX3 Alliance Fighter model was clasped firmly in his right hand as he zipped and zoomed around the small space in his game of simulated flight. 

High above him, an ebony-haired and cerulean-eyed man clad in Alliance BDU watched the youngster from his room in one of the nearby towers. 

‘ _Oh, to be young and carefree,_ ’ Xavier Shepard thought to himself wistfully as he continued to observe the child for a few moments more before pushing away from the window and making his way over to the double bed. ‘ _No weight of the galaxy on your shoulders. No race of seemly unstoppable sentient machines intent on harvesting us to stop._ ’ 

Six months had passed since he’d handed himself - and the Normandy - into Alliance custody after destroying the Alpha Relay and wiping out the Bahak system. He’d done so with a good reason; to delay the Reapers arrival into the galaxy, and give the races more time to prepare for the coming war with sentient machines. 

But the Batarian Hegemony hadn’t seen it that way. 

They’d seen in as an act of terrorism. A heinous war crime. 

And they were right. At the back end of the day, regardless of Shepard’s intentions, thousands of innocents - and an entire star system – had perished because of his actions. 

And once the batarians had learned just who had committed the act of genocide against their people, they’d started coming after him. Called for his execution. 

Fearing that his friends and crew might get caught in the crossfire, Shepard had had no choice but to hand himself in to keep the four-eyed aliens at bay. He’d been transported back to Earth, where he’d assumed that he’d face a lengthy trial for his actions, not only for the Bahak system, but for working with Cerberus - a clandestine insurgency and terrorist organization that had unofficially tasked itself with the protection and ascension of humankind, to rise or dominate above all other species in the galaxy… at any cost. Because of that mandate, the shadowy group was considered an avowed enemy of the not only the Alliance but the Citadel Council as well. 

But to his surprise, that hadn’t happened. 

True to his stated word when he’d visited the Normandy after the events of Aratoht, Hackett – and Anderson too, Shepard suspected - had kept the Alliance brass from getting their claws into him. The Spectre had been stripped of his Navy rank, put under house-arrest and a young marine; Lieutenant Commander James Vega, assigned to watch him – and once again Shepard suspected it was more a case of ‘watch over’ than ‘guard’ as Vega always seemed to have his attention on the outside world whenever Shepard went anywhere - but other than that he’d faced no other repercussions for what had happened.  

To give the appearance that he **was** under investigation, though, he rarely left the secure compound. And although his freedom of movement in the outside world had been hampered, he’d been able to do as he pleased within the building. 

The first few days of freedom had, admittedly, had him reeling as he’d been unsure of what he was going to do with himself, but he’d soon established a routine to keep himself busy. Mornings were spent in the gym with James, sparing and training to keep himself in peek physical condition. Afternoons were spent confined in his ‘cell,’ - a small but comfortable apartment, derive of any personalization beyond a few items, that consisted of four rooms: living area, kitchen, study, and a bedroom that were kept immaculate by its single occupant - either listening to the radio, browsing the extranet with the limited access he was allowed on it or doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles to keep him mind sharp. 

Hackett had also made sure that Shepard’s former Cerberus crew had been given amnesty, and those who did not want to join the Alliance – or re-join in some cases – were allowed to walk away with no repercussions. Now nearly all of them were busily working on the Normandy’s new retrofits. 

His mother, Hannah Shepard, had also made a point of making regular visits to check in on him, to see and insure that he wasn’t being mistreated by the “Brass vultures” as she had termed them on her first visit. 

Shepard was broken from his thoughts when the console behind him beeped, announcing that the daily episode of radio serial that he’d started listening to during his incarceration, _Castlereagh Line_ , was just about to start. 

‘ _Can’t be long before Bowman catches up to Seager. Then there’ll be fireworks,_ ’ Shepard thought to himself as he turned on the radio. 

As the radio sprang to life the last vestiges of a song was heard playing. A song that Shepard instantly recognised. _Inescapable_ by Jessica Mauboy. 

He and Miranda had slow-danced to the song during their first real date since becoming a couple on the eve of him handing himself in. 

‘ _Miranda…_ ’ 

He hadn’t heard from her while he’d been grounded, but that had been expected. She’d been one of the Illusive Man’s best agents prior to leaving Cerberus. To be contacted by her now, with everything that had happened, regardless of her resignation, would only make him appear worse scrutiny wise. She had had to know that, and thus she stayed away. 

But that didn’t stop him from missing her. 

There wasn’t a day that went past that he didn’t think about her, wondering where she was, if the Illusive Man had conducted any reprisals on her for walking away, if her twin sister, Oriana, was still safe from their egotistical bastard of a father. 

A knock on the door broke Shepard from his thoughts once as Vega entered.

“James?” the Spectre turned to face his friend, querying his sudden appearance. 

“Commander,” Vega snapped to attention and Shepard just shook his head wearily. 

The young mohawked marine had continued to salute him and address him by his former rank, despite Shepard’s protests and dissuasions not to do so, ever since his house-arrest had begun. Though the N7 marine was glad that the younger man believed in his innocence, Vega’s actions hadn’t won him any points with their superiors. Especially Major Antella - the head of the Alliance’s Department of Internal Naval Affairs - who seemed to have a vendetta against both of them. 

“We gotta go,” the lieutenant informed his charge. “The Defence Committee wants to see you.” 

Shepard’s brow furrowed at that, responding with a “Sounds important,” as Vega left the room, the ebony haired marine hot on his heels. But the Spectre then had to stop short upon leaving the apartment to avoid colliding with an Alliance officer who brushed past the pair and continued on up through the hallway, clearly in a hurry. Shepard noted that the rest of the passage was filled with fellow marines all bustling about in a similar fashion. 

“What’s going on?” Shepard questioned his escort as he jogged to catch up with him. 

“Couldn’t say,” Vega responded as they weaved their way through the oncoming traffic. “Just told me that they needed you. Now.” 

There was a sudden break in the crowd around them and Shepard slowed as he saw someone walking towards them. Someone that the Spectre hadn’t seen since he’d arrived on Earth. His friend and mentor; Admiral David Anderson. 

“Admiral,” Vega snapped to attention as he greeted his superior. 

“Anderson,” Shepard greeted the dark-skinned man as he offered his hand for a handshake. 

Anderson shook hands with his protégée as the started moving again, Vega a few steps behind them. 

“You look good, Shepard. Maybe a little soft around the edges,” the admiral commented as the group rounded a corner. “How’ve you held up since being relieved of duty?” 

“It wasn’t so bad once I got used to everything.” 

“We’ll get it sorted out,” Anderson assured the younger man. 

“What’s going on?” Shepard questioned as he observed the activity going on around him. “Why is everyone in such a hurry?” 

“Admiral Hackett’s mobilizing the fleets. Word’s made it to Alliance command that something big is headed our way.” 

Shepard stopped at that. “The Reapers?” 

Anderson turned to face him. “We don’t know. Not for certain, anyway.” 

“What else could it be?” 

“If I knew that…” Anderson responded wryly. 

“You know we’re not ready if it is them,” Shepard warned. “Not by a long shot.” 

“Tell that to the Defence Committee.” 

Shepard shook his head as the pair started moving again. “Unless we’re planning to talk the Reapers to death, the committee is waste of time.” 

“They’re just scared,” Anderson soothed. “None of them have seen what you’ve seen. You’ve faced down a Reaper. Hell, you spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up! You’ve seen how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us. You know more about this enemy that anyone.” 

“Is that why they grounded me? Took away my ship?” Shepard asked bitterly. 

Anderson stopped and turned to face his former XO. “You know that’s not true. When you blew up the Bahak system’s Relay, hundreds of thousands of batarians died!” 

“It was either that or let the Reapers walk through our back door. I know what I did was a war crime, but I had to give the galaxy a chance to prepare for the Reapers arrival.” 

“I know that, Shepard. And so does the committee. If it wasn’t for that, you’d have been court martialled and left to rot in the brig.” 

Shepard scoffed, “That, and your and Hackett’s good word?” 

“Yeah, we both trust you Shepard.” 

“I’m just a soldier, Anderson. I’m no politician.” 

“I don’t need you to be either. I just need you to do whatever it takes to help us stop the Reapers.” 

The two men and their shadow continued on towards a door at the far end of the hallway

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

A young red-haired officer was waiting for them when they entered the room. “They’re expecting you two, Admiral,” she informed Anderson and led them through to the courtroom. 

“Good luck in there, Shepard,” Vega offered. 

“Thanks, James,” Shepard turned back to look at the younger marine. “Appreciate the support.” 

With his back to Anderson, Shepard didn’t see the arrival of his former team-mate and old flame, Ashley Williams. 

But she saw him, and after greeting Anderson, she called out to him, “Xavier.” 

Shepard turned away from Vega to look at her. “Ashley?” he queried as he moved to re-join Anderson. 

“Lieutenant Commander,” Anderson returned the brunette’s greeting. “How’d it go in there?” 

“I can never tell with them,” Ashley earnestly replied. “I’m just waiting for orders now.” 

“Lieutenant Commander?” Shepard questioned as he joined the conversation. She’d been promoted?

 “You hadn’t heard?” Anderson queried. 

“No, I hadn’t. I’m a bit out of the loop these days.” 

“Sorry, Skipper. It’s been… well…” she trailed off. 

“It’s fine, Ash. I’m just glad to have bumped into you. Sounds like the old Williams curse has finally been broken.” 

“Yeah,” Ashley smiled half-heartedly. A lot of her good fortune had come about because of the man standing before her. “I guess it has.” 

Their conversation was halted by the return of the red-headed officer. “Admiral?” 

“Come on, Shepard. We’d better not keep them waiting.” 

“Right behind you, sir.” 

With a final nod of his head at Ashley – which she returned – Shepard followed Anderson into the courtroom. 

“You know the Commander?” Vega questioned Ashley as the two watched the men disappear. 

“I used to,” came her reply as the doors closed behind Shepard, blocking him from view.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“Admiral Anderson and Shepard have arrived, sir,” the red-headed officer announced to the three members of the Defence Committee - a bald headed man in his forties, a grey haired woman in her fifties and a ebony haired and dark skinned man in his late thirties - and they turned away from the panoramic window that overlooked the courtroom, moving to take their seats behind the bench as Anderson and Shepard approached. Along the sides of the room were a plethora of officers, some watching the proceeding’s, other watching the various console monitors in front of them. 

“Admiral Anderson. Shepard,” the bald headed councillor greeted them. 

“What’s the situation?” Shepard questioned. 

“We were hoping you could tell us,” came the reply. 

A nearby officer gave Shepard a datapad. Thanking the officer, the Spectre began to read its contents. 

_The Reapers arrived first in the Vular system of the Kite’s Nest cluster and immediately destroyed its communications network. The Batarian Hegemony's Department of Information Control blamed the loss of signal on space weather, but scrambled ships to the system nonetheless. Within a day, Reaper capital ships appeared in the Harsa system and descended on the Batarian homeworld, Khar'shan._

_For all the rhetoric about the Hegemony's military prowess, their response to the Reapers was uncoordinated. Moments after the Information Minister took to the extranet and announced that unknown ships were destroying all traffic near Khar'shan, the Defence Minister declared there was no reason to panic. The planet's comm buoys were destroyed next, creating an ominous silence that has persisted ever since._

_Fearing they were next, Batarian colonies across Hegemony space began evacuations. So many refugees poured into the human-occupied Exodus Cluster that Systems Alliance officials at first thought the Batarians were invading._

_More systems have gone dark as their comm buoys were destroyed, and millions more Batarians, trapped on their planets, sit waiting for the Reapers_.

“The reports coming in are unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” the female councillor continued, though Shepard only half heard her as he continued reading. “Whole colonies have gone dark. We’ve lost contact with everything beyond the Sol Relay. 

“Whatever this is, it’s incomprehensively powerful.” 

‘ _So it begins,_ ’ Shepard thought grimly as he looked back up at the committee. “You brought me here to confirm what you already know; the Reapers are here.” 

The committee looked at each other for a moment, as did the rest of the inhabitants of the court, before focusing back on Shepard. 

“Then, how do we stop them?” 

“Stop them?” Shepard scoffed as he strode forwards. “This isn’t about strategy or tactics. This is about survival. The Reapers are more advanced than we are. More _powerful_. More _intelligent_. They don’t fear us, and they’ll **never** take pity on us.” 

“But, there must be some way!” 

“If we’re going to have any chance of surviving this, we have to stand together. Every organic race in the galaxy has to unite or we’re dead where we stand.” 

“Admiral, we’ve lost contact with Luna base,” another officer cut into the conversation. 

“The moon?” Anderson parroted. “They can’t be that close already!” 

“How’d they get past our defences?” the female councillor was heard asking. 

“Sir,” the same officer addressed Anderson again. “U.K. headquarters has a visual.” 

One of the many screens that lined the walls flickered to life as Shepard and Anderson turned to look at it and the rest of the room, including the Defence Committee followed suit. At first there was only static, but then an image sprung to life. In it was a young marine, who was shouting franticly into the camera, but his pleas were drowned out by the noise in the background, a sound Shepard instantly recognised, before an explosion rocked the screen and the signal cut out. 

After that, more images sprang to life on the screen. Reaper capital ships arriving in various major cities all over the Earth. News reporters frantically reporting what was happening and advising populations to evacuate. Evacuees desperately trying to flag down passing Alliance dropships. Alliance fighters engaging the Reapers, to little or no avail. Smoke billowing up from ruined buildings. 

The screen eventually stopped on an image of a Reaper wreaking havoc before Anderson tore his eyes away to look at his companion. “Why haven’t we heard from Admiral Hackett?” 

“They probably hit the comm buoys first, like they did with the Batarians. Stop us communicating with each other.” 

“What do we do?” the bald councillor questioned. 

Taking one last look at the destruction on screen, Shepard turned to face the committee again. “The only thing we can,” the Spectre advised. “We fight. Or we die trying.” 

“We should get to the Normandy,” Anderson informed his protégé. 

“Agreed. The sooner the better,” Shepard responded. 

But just as they made a move to leave, a rumble for outside the building caught their attention. But the rumble soon gave away to another, more ominous sound; a mechanical sounding trumpet. 

_‘Oh, **shit!** ’ _Was all Shepard could think as the behemoth of a machine descended through the clouds over the city. Time seemed to slow down then, and as the committee turned to look at the landing Reaper. He distantly heard the female councillor whisper “Oh my God!” as the machine unleashed a fiery red blast from its magnetohydrodynamic cannon. 

A blast that was headed straight towards them. 

“ **Move!** ” Shepard barked, turning to run as the glass windows exploded, instantly killing the committee, and sending the bench they’d been sitting on flying towards the fleeing duo. 

“Hit the deck!” Anderson called out as the bench half flew, half rolled over the top of the two men. Shepard had barely got back on his feet when a second explosion detonated, sending him flying backwards. His momentum was halted – violently - when he slammed into the back wall a few seconds later, the air in his lungs escaping in a rush, before he crumpled lifelessly forwards onto the floor. 

He remained that way, dazed and breathless, for a few moments before Anderson’s insistent chorus of his name broke through the haze. 

“Over here!” Shepard called out as loud as he could, before slowly beginning to rise to his feet. His arms and face were covered in scratches from the glass shards and splinters, but thanks to his Cerberus implants, the blood had already started to clot. 

“You alright?” Anderson asked as he stuck out a hand, which Shepard accepted and gingerly pulled himself to his feet. 

“Yeah, for now. But I’m likely to be sore come tomorrow morning, though.” 

“I’m sure you’ll shake it off. Here, take this,” Anderson offered him an M-3 Predator Heavy Pistol that he’d taken off one of the deceased marines. “We need to get moving. See if you can raise the Normandy while I check if there are any survivors.” 

Nodding his head, Shepard raised a hand to his ear to block out any external noise, “Shepard to Normandy, do you copy?” No response came. “Shepard to Normandy,” Shepard tried again. “Joker, do you read me?” Again, there was no answer. 

“Any luck?” 

Shepard shook his head as he lowered his hand as Anderson re-joined him. “Nothing. You?” 

“All dead. Let me try,” Anderson repeated Shepard’s actions, raising a hand to his ear. “This is Admiral Anderson, report in anyone.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“ _This is Admiral Anderson, report in anyone._ ” 

In one of the partially collapsed hallways that she and Vega were trying to get through, Ashley heard Anderson’s radio call. 

Signalling for Vega to pause, Ashley responded, “I read you, Admiral.” 

“ _Lieutenant Commander Williams? Is that you?”_  

“Yes, sir.” 

“ _What’s your status?_ ” 

“I’m just trying to leave the building, Lieutenant Vega’s with me. You?” 

“ _The same. Shepard can’t raise the Normandy. I need you to get to the ship and alert Joker to be prepped and ready to fly once we get there._ ” 

“Understood, sir. On my way.” 

“ _Good. Anderson out._ ” 

 “Vega, on me!” Ashley called to her fellow marine, who fell into step with her as she started to move again. 

“What are our orders?” 

“We’ve got to get to the Normandy.” 

“Madre…” The Spanish marine murmured as they stepped out into the streets and took in the destruction first hand. 

“You got that right,” Ashley agreed before raising her pilfered M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle. “Come on, the spaceport’s this way.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“Watch out!” Anderson warned Shepard as a Husk lunged at him from the doorway, catching his left arm in a tight grip before the Spectre could get clear. 

Upon leaving the ruined courtroom, Shepard and Anderson had made their way from building to building as around them more Reapers arrived into the fray of battle. But eventually their peaceful run had come to a screeching halt. After getting an update from Ashley about her and Vega’s progress, Husks had started pouring out of the building they’d been about to enter. 

Dealing with them in such close quarters was hard enough, but with a limited ammo supply, Shepard had been forced to resort to melee attacks to take them out. Which meant getting up close and personal with the zombie-like creatures. 

‘ _What I wouldn’t give for a shotgun right about now…_ ’ 

With a growl, Shepard activated his Omni-tool, bringing his arm back as his Omni-blade - a disposable silicon-carbide weapon flash-forged by the tool's mini-fabricator – formed and rotated into its attack position before he slashed downwards. The attack severed the Husk’s arm from its body, and a follow up kick to the creatures’ chest sent it flying backwards. Shepard was also glad to note that it didn’t get back up. 

“You alright?” 

“Yeah, no damage done.” 

“Good. Come on, through here.” After prying the doors apart, the two men entered the apartment. 

As Anderson continued on through the ruined building to find an exit, a sound caught Shepard’s attention. Surveying the room, he spotted an open air-conditioning vent. As he moved in for a closer inspection, the sound, a thumping as if someone was backpedalling, was heard again. Crouching down, Shepard peered into the vent. And there, trembling in fear, was the little boy that the Spectre had been observing from his room little over an hour ago. 

“Hey,” Shepard greeted the child softly, trying not to scare him anymore that he already was. “It’s okay.” 

“Everyone’s dying!” the boy cried out fearfully. 

“It’s okay,” Shepard repeated, but as he made a move to offer his hand to the boy, the ground shook violently. The child gasped in alarm, frantically back-pedaling into the vent as far as he could go. As he back-tracked, Shepard turned to see what had caused the tremor and found it easily; the massive leg of a Reaper that was moving past the building they were in. Turning back to the cowering child, Shepard offered the boy his hand. “Come here. Take my hand,” he coaxed. “We need to get you some place safe.” 

The six year old shook his head, not moving an inch. “You can’t help me,” he plainly stated to Shepard. 

“Shepard?” Anderson’s voice sounded from the exit, and the aforementioned marine turned to look at him. “This way,” the admiral gestured back behind him. He’d found a way out. 

“Be with you in a minute,” Shepard responded as he turned back to the vent, determined to get the child out. But all he found was an empty space where youngster had been mere seconds ago. ‘ _Hope he gets out safely_ ,’ Shepard prayed to whatever gods were listening to allow the child a safe passage to the evac shuttles as he got to his feet and trudged towards the door he’d seen Anderson disappear through. 

He found Anderson trying to clear them a path to the other side of the partially collapsed room. “This is a God-damn mess!” the admiral growled as Shepard stepped up to help. “Every minute these machines are here, thousands of innocent people die!” 

“It’s hard enough fighting a war,” Shepard sympathized. “But it’s even worse knowing that, no matter how hard you try, you can’t save them all.” 

“Exactly.” 

Their path mostly clear, the two men kept moving, bobbing and weaving through the struts of metal that they couldn’t move, stopping to help one another when it was needed. 

“They hit so fast,” Anderson lamented. “I thought we’d have more time than this.” 

“We knew that they were coming. Destroying the Alpha Relay only delayed them.” 

“And they still just cut through our defences like they were nothing!” Anderson shook his head. “We have to get to the Citadel and talk to the Council.” 

“The Citadel?” Shepard repeated. “Why? The fight’s here!” 

“It’ll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself; the Reapers will destroy everything if we don’t find a way to stop them. The Council has to help us.” 

“You sure about that?” Shepard queried as they stepped out onto a narrow metal support beam that was their only way across to the other side, a long drop waiting for them if they slipped up, and carefully began to sidle across it. “They don’t exactly have the best track-record when it comes to helping our race.” 

“No disagreement from me there. But you’re still a Council Spectre. That has to count for something.” 

“You really be-” Shepard started to respond before an explosion rocked the building and the Spectre lost his balance and started to topple forwards, his breath catching in his throat. But before he could get too far, Anderson’s hand snaked out, catching him by the belt and stopping his fall before he could get up any momentum. Yanking hard, the admiral pulled his protégé back upright. 

His equilibrium and stability restored, Shepard breathed a sigh of relief before pressing on with mildly trembling legs. “Thanks,” he offered shakily after a moment as he got his heart under control. “I owe you one.” 

“More than one, actually,” came the wry response. 

Shepard smirked, “Keeping track?” 

“Wouldn’t you?” 

The Spectre just laughed in response.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“There it is!” Vega called out over gunfire as he spotted the Normandy.

“Cover me while I move up!” 

Vega began to lay down suppression fire on the husks that were shooting at them while Ashley moved forward.

" _Lieutenant Commander Williams,_ ” Anderson’s voice came over the radio. “ _We’re in sight of the Spaceport. ETA: three minutes._ ” 

“Roger that, sir. We’ve made it to the Normandy, but we’re taking heavy fire.” 

‘ _Can things get any worse?_ ’ Ashley thought to herself moments before yet another Reaper touched down close to the spaceport. And immediately focused its fire on a nearby dreadnought. ‘ _I just had to ask, didn’t I?_ ’ 

“ _Dios!_ ” James called out in alarm. “It’s going to take out the dreadnought!” 

“ **Move!** Get to the Normandy!” 

Abandoning their cover, the pair sprinted to the dry-docked frigate as above them the dreadnought exploded. Seconds later, the sounds of two men in a tumble came over the radio. “Admiral? Xavier?” 

“ _God damnit!_ ” Shepard cursed. “ _This day just keeps getting better and better!_ ” 

“You alright, Skipper?” 

“ _Yeah, but I’m_ definitely _going to be sore in the morning._ ” 

“What happened?” 

“ _The dreadnought’s explosion caused a shockwave that collapsed the platform we were on. We’re going to have to find another way to ge-_ ” the transmission was suddenly filled with static. 

“Shepard?! Shepard, do you copy?” 

More static. 

‘ _Reapers must be jamming our communications._ ’ 

“Get us out if here, Joker,” Ashley ordered the moment she and Vega were on the ship. “Anderson and Shepard may need a pick up.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

****

**_Location: Location: Sol System / Local Cluster / Earth / North America / Canada / Vancouver / Spaceport / SSV Normandy SR-2 / Deck 2: CIC – Cockpit_ **

 

“ _Get us out if here, Joker. Anderson and Shepard may need a pick up._ ” 

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” came Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau’s reply as he closed the Cargo Bay door. “EDI, you want to do the honours?”

 “With pleasure, Jeff,” the AI responded as she began to hack into the docking clamps. 

Joker swivelled his seat to face the two women – his guards - behind him. “So, are you two in or out?” 

Privates Bethany Westmoreland and Sarah Campbell looked at each other for a moment, before looking back at the helmsman and simultaneously responding, “In.” 

“The clamps are retracting, Jeff,” the AI informed the pilot. “We are now free to go.” 

“Atta girl, EDI,” Joker praised, swivelling back to the ship’s holographic controls before he began to safely jettison the frigate out of the Alliance dry dock that she’d called home for the last six months and into the open air.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

****

**_Location: Sol System / Local Cluster / Earth / North America / Canada / Vancouver_ ** **_/ Harbour_ **

“Normandy, do you copy?” Shepard repeated. “Normandy, come in!” The only response was more static. “Damnit!” 

“Lost the signal?” 

“Yeah. Ash knows that we’re re-routing, but nothing else.” 

“We’ll have to find another way to contact them. For now, let’s keep moving.” 

The two men continued along a collapsed walkway, leaping over the pieces that were gone or submerged by the harbour’s murky waters as the battle still raged on around them, until the sound of a man in pain reached their ears. Signalling for Shepard to wait, Anderson crept up to the edge of the walk way and peered over for a few moments before softly announcing, “Friendlies.” 

Shepard re-joined his mentor before dropping down to the lower level. There were three of them, all Alliance marines, but one man’s leg was trapped by the support struts of the walkway. 

“You three okay?” Shepard questioned as Anderson landed behind him. 

“Get down,” one of the marines hissed. “They’ll see you!” 

Shepard was just about to ask who ‘they’ were when a shot ricocheted off of the metal plating next to him. Cursing his inattention, the Spectre quickly dove for cover, Anderson followed suit, as their attackers made themselves know with a roar. Risking a quick glance, Shepard saw that their assailants were a new type of Husk. The newest Reaper-made abominations seemed to be mutated batarians, judging by the four eyes they had in their heads. They also bore a large gun that was held in place by a human corpse. But the thought that the weapon served in place of an arm was quickly dispelled when one of them lobbed a grenade into the human’s cover. 

“Shit!” one of the marines cussed as Shepard left his cover briefly to grab the explosive and lob it back the way it had come from. The grenade exploded seconds later, catching at least six of the abominations in the blast. After that, Anderson and Shepard were able to pick off the rest with little trouble. 

When the last foe went down, Anderson left his cover and looked to the marines. “What happened here?” he asked as Shepard took in what appeared to be a crash site, the tail of a gunship poking out of a pile of rubble. 

“Our gunship was shot down, and we barely made it out when those things appeared.” 

“How long has he been trapped?” Shepard asked. 

“About thirteen minutes.” 

Shepard made a face, fifteen minutes was the limit before Crush syndrome began to set in. 

“We better get him out, stat.” Shepard stated as he moved to one side of the metal, signalling Anderson to the opposite side. “On three,” the Spectre advised and the admiral nodded as they both got a good grip of the strut. “One,” Shepard bent his knees, “two,” they took up the strain, “three!” Between them, they were able to lift the metal high enough for the trapped marine’s comrades to drag him clear of the danger zone, his crushed leg dragging lifelessly, before they dropped it. As one man tended to their comrade the second rose to talk to their saviours. 

“Thanks for the assist,” he offered his gratitude. “Don’t know how we can repay you, though.” 

“Do you have a radio?” Anderson asked. “We’re trying to contact our ship.” 

“Not on us,” the man replied with a shake of his head. “We did have one in the gunship, but it’s going to be infested with those monsters.” 

“We’ll be alright. Come on, Shepard. Let’s get to that gunship.” 

”Wait a moment,” the second uninjured marine called out, rising from his place at the wounded marine’s side, retrieving his discarded M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle and a few more thermal clips, and giving them to Shepard. “You’ll need them more than I do.” 

Nodding his head in thanks, Shepard collapsed his pistol and holstered it before accepting the new firearm, pocketing the clips as he and Anderson turned to leave. The walkway that they’d extracted the injured marine from sunk partially into the water of the harbour, giving them a way forwards. Crossing the makeshift bridge and rounding some of the crash debris, it wasn’t long before they encountered more of the new Husk creatures. 

“What the hell are those things?” Anderson questioned as Shepard poked out of cover to fire at one. 

“If I had to hazard a guess,” Shepard replied as he ducked back down and reloaded. “I’d say a batarian/human hybrid.” 

“Makes sense, I suppose.” Anderson popped out of cover to finish off the beast. “The Reapers did hit Khar’shan first before coming here. Must’ve known they’d need something tougher than regular Husks to start their assault on the galaxy. All clear!” 

The two men rose from cover and trekked forwards, the crashed gunship now in their sights. 

“Cover me,” Anderson commanded once they’d reached it and Shepard moved to do, remaining tense and alert, his head constantly swivelling to suss out any movement, any potential threat as the admiral entered the ship to find its radio. 

“Found it!” Anderson’s voice rang out, but Shepard didn’t budge from his vigil as the admiral activated the radio. “Normandy, this is Anderson. Do you read me?” 

“ _Loud and clear, sir,_ ” came Ashley’s swift response. “ _What’s your location?_ ” 

“By a downed gunship in the harbour. Tell Joker that I’m activating its distress beacon. We’ve also got wounded at our location, so we need some evac shuttles here ASAP.” 

“ _Understood, sir. W-_ ” Ashley’s response was suddenly overtaken by static, which drowned out the rest of her response. 

“Lieutenant?” More static. “Damnit!” 

“Lost the signal?” Shepard turned to look at the admiral as he scrambled out of the gunship’s cockpit. 

“Yet again. Seems to be today’s standard fare.” 

“We’ll just have to hope that the beacon does its job.” 

“And fast, looks like we’ve got company!” Anderson replied, pointing to something behind the Spectre. 

Shepard turned just as a fireball collided with the platform above them, and from it emerged a dozen of the batarian husks that opened fire on the two humans the moment they spotted them. 

“Hope they get here soon,” Anderson commented as they took cover. 

“You and me both!” Shepard hollered back over the gunfire from his cover on the other side. 

Working in tandem, the two marines did their best to keep the creatures at bay - one of them exposed and firing, either ammo or a concussive shot to knock husks to close to the edge clean off, while the other reloaded. But the beasts were relentless, wave upon wave constantly hitting the partially destroyed platform so that when one bit the dust there was three more to replace it. 

‘ _They’re like a dammed Hydra!_ ’ Shepard thought in frustration. ‘ _Pity I don’t have any fire on me. Or an incendiary grenade._ ’ Worse still, their ammo supply soon began to drop, and Shepard was forced to switch back to his Predator once his M-8 ran out of clips, and the Batarian husks began to gain ground, crawling over the mounds of dead that had been slain before them and closer to the two marines’ cover, forcing them to retreat. 

It was during their withdrawal they discovered something. 

Anderson had brought one down with a concussive shot to cover Shepard as he moved to the next cover, and as the corpse hit the floor, three more of the beasts that were harassing the Spectre suddenly turned away and converged on their fallen brethren, devouring it on the spot. 

“They’re cannibals!” Anderson exclaimed as he watched with morbid curiosity. 

“We can use that to our advantage. Kill one and the rest will flock to it. We can pick them off while their preoccupied. Use concussive shots where you can to further conserve our remaining ammo.” 

But even with those tactics, their dwindling thermal clip supply soon dried up and Shepard heard Anderson’s own pistol hiss when the admiral tried to fire it a second after his own pistol drew blanks. With no further opposition, the husks began to close in on the two men as they started once again to retreat onto the very edge of the platform. With nowhere else to go but a long drop down, the marines turned to face their gathering foes. 

‘ _Some great savoir of the galaxy I am,_ ’ Shepard though grimly as he teetered on the edge, the husks only meters away now. ‘ _I won’t even get off of Earth. Which will probably please Harbinger, the Reaper’s greatest annoyance finally squashed. And Miri,’_ he prayed as an image of Miranda’s smiling face appeared in his mind’s eye. _‘Forgive me for breaking my promise…_ ’ 

Then the most heavenly voice sounded over the com as a salvo of missiles directed at the batarian horde trumpeted the Normandy’s entrance. “ _The cavalry has arrived, gentlemen!_ ” Joker announced. 

“About time!” Anderson exclaimed. 

“ _You’re a sight for sore eyes, Joker. You and the Normandy both. Though you could have arrived before the whole ‘life-flashing-before-my-very-eyes’ moment, y’know!_ ” Shepard responded into the radio as the frigate shot over their heads before banking back around, showing off her new paint job to her CO as she came in for a pick up. ‘ _It’s good to see her back in Alliance colours._ ’ 

“ _We’ve missed you too, Comm- I mean, Shepard. And we got here as soon as we could!_ ” 

“Let’s go!” Shepard called to Anderson. 

The Javelin Disruptor Torpedoes had cleared all the Cannibals, both alive and slain, from the platform, leaving a clear path for the two men and Shepard sprinted towards the opening Cargo Bay door, smoothly sliding over any raised cover when necessary, which revealed Ashley and Crewmen’s Patel, Hawthorne and Goldstein – as well as several of the Normandy’s marine contingent - all wielding Avengers to keep any hostiles at bay. When he was close enough, Shepard took a flying leap into the ship, and Ashley reached out to him as he touched down, guiding him safely inside. 

“Welcome back, Commander,” Goldstein greeted him. 

“Thanks,” Shepard responded before he turned to look at Anderson, who was still on the platform. “Come on!” the Spectre gestured for his mentor to come aboard.

Anderson just shook his head; not moving as several Kodiak shuttles arrived, buzzing past them on their way to touch down at the nearby evacuation point. “I’m not coming with you.” 

“What?” 

“You saw those men back there,” Anderson pointed in the direction of the three marines they’d helped. “There’s a million more like them, and they need a leader.” 

“We’re in this fight together, Anderson!” 

“It’s a fight we can’t win, not without help. Like you said, we need every species and all their ships working together before we’ll even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Go to the Citadel, talk to the Council. Convince them to help us.” 

“What if they won’t listen?” 

“Then you have to **make** them listen! Now go! That’s an order!” 

Shepard shook his head. “I don’t take orders from you anymore. Stripped of rank, remember?” 

Anderson reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of dog tags and Shepard wondered just how long his mentor had been holding onto them, if Anderson had been planning on getting him released today regardless of the Reaper’s arrival. “Then consider yourself reinstated, Commander,” the admiral stated before tossing the tags to Shepard, who nimbly caught them with his free hand. “You know what you have to do.” 

Shepard passed his thumb over the words that were engraved in the metal tabs before clenching his fist around them.

 

_Shepard_

_Xavier M_

_092-03-1985_

_O Positive_

_No preference_

He didn’t want to leave, but he knew that he had no choice. Like Anderson had said, he was the only one who had the most experience dealing with the Reapers. The only one capable of uniting the races of the galaxy and leading them to victory against their mechanical oppressors. 

“I’ll be back for you,” he promised as he finally looked back up at his mentor. “And I’ll bring every fleet that I can.” 

“Good luck, Shepard.” 

“You too. And stay alive, you hear?” 

Anderson chuckled at that before snapping off a playful salute. “Yes, sir!” 

The Normandy began to slowly depart then and Shepard watched as Anderson turned and started back the way they’d come, heading towards the waiting shuttles. 

At the evacuation point, marines were busily helping civilians onto the shuttles. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, Shepard spotted a familiar grey hoodie of the boy he’d tried to help. ‘ _He’s still alive!_ ’ The Spectre watched with vested interest as the youngster, unassisted, struggled into one of the Kodiak’s before their doors shut and they began to take off. But as just as they got airborne, a Reaper - different in both shape and size than the rest of its ilk, Shepard noted - emerged from behind a cluster of buildings to the east of the landing zone and targeted the escaping shuttles. Time seemed to slow down as the Reaper’s beam sliced through one shuttle after another, destroying them and killing all those aboard instantly. 

‘ _God-damnit!_ ’ 

Distraught, Shepard tore his gaze from the fiery wrecks of the downed shuttles as they fell into water below, and he stepped away from the closing Shuttle Bay doors as the Normandy lifted off, safely weaving her way through the landing Reapers and the wreckages of Alliance ships destroyed in the initial assault as she escaped into Earth’s atmosphere.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / in Orbit around Earth / SSV Normandy SR-2 / Deck 5: Shuttle Bay_ **

 

Slipping his dog tags back around his neck, Shepard trudged towards the elevator at the front of the hanger, intent on heading up to the CIC, Vega trailing after him, rapidly firing questions at him. 

“What the hell’s going on? Where’s Anderson? Where are we going?” Shepard didn’t answer, he just kept moving. “Hey, I’m talking to you!” Vega demanded. 

“We’re leaving,” Shepard finally informed him. 

“Leaving?!” Vega repeated incredulously. 

“What’s going on?” Ashley entered the conversation and Shepard stopped to face her. 

“Anderson has ordered us to go to the Citadel and get help from the Council.” 

“Bullshit!” Vega cut in. “He wouldn’t order us to leave!” 

Shepard turned his head to look at the younger man. “We don’t have much of a choice here, James. Without help, the war with them is over before it’s even begun.” 

“Then drop me off somewhere, ‘cause I ain’t leaving Earth-” 

“ **Enough!!!** ” Shepard growled, fully rounding on the lieutenant and cutting into his rant, his patience snapping. “Don’t you think that I’d rather stay and fight as well?! We’re going to the Citadel! You want out; you can catch a ride back from there,” the Spectre ground out before walking away. 

Vega made a gesture at Shepard’s retreating back before stalking away to the portside of the hanger where the ship’s gym was set-up. 

“Commander?” Joker’s voice sounded over the comm. 

“What’s up, Joker?” 

“Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett for you.” 

“Patch it through to the Shuttle Bay.” 

The picture on one of the terminals next to Shepard changed to show the flickering image of the admiral. “Shepard… s-s-sustained heavy loses… force was overwhelming… There’s no way we can defeat them conventionally.” 

“Anderson’s already ordered me to the Citadel to talk to the Council,” Shepard informed Hackett. 

“First, I need you to… g-go t… -iance outpost on Mars… -for we… lose control of the system.” 

Shepard nodded his head. “Understood, sir.” 

“…been researching the Prothean Archives with Dr. T’Soni…” Shepard’s eyebrows shot up at that little tidbit. ‘ _She must be trying to see if the Protheans left anything that we might be able to use against the Reapers,_ ’ he summarised in his mind before focusing back on Hackett. “…found a way to stop the Reapers… only way to stop them… b-b-be in contact soon. Hackett out.” 

With that the picture flickered out. 

“Set a course for the Mars Archives, Joker.” Shepard alerted the helmsmen in the wake of the message. 

“Mars?” Joker question, perplexed, before, “Roger that.” 

Shepard turned away from the console to a nearby table where a set of newest-gen N7 armour was waiting for him. Setting his Avenger and Predator down he picked up the chest piece to inspect it. 

“This is loco!” Vega exclaimed, having backtracked to the console when Hackett’s call had come through. 

“Why Mars? What does he think we’ll find there?” Ashley queried from behind Shepard. 

“I don’t know. Yet,” the Spectre replied. “But if Liara’s there, then it’s worth checking out. Gear up. I want to get going as soon as we’re in orbit.” 

Ashley nodded her head and then left to do so. 

Shepard turned to the burly marine, “You coming, James?” 

Vega shrugged. “May as well. I still think this is loco, though.” 

“Most things that I’m involved in usually are, James,” the Spectre quipped as he began to strip off. “So I suggest that you get used to it.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

**Author’s Notes:**  

For those of you who don’t know, BDU stands for Battle Dress Uniform. 

The idea for Shepard’s ‘cell’ being a small apartment in the Alliance HQ building during his incarceration is taken from Sharrukin’s _Memoirs: The Reaper War_. Used with permission 


	2. Martian Explorers

**Martian Explorers**

 

 **_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars_**  

The arid fourth planet of the Sol System had been explored via various robotic expeditions for nearly a century before the first manned research stations had been placed in the 2080s. The first permanent settlement on Mars was Lowell City, founded in 2103 by the European Space Agency, and based in Eos Chasma. Within a decade, both the United North American States and the Chinese People's Federation had founded permanent settlements on the planet as well. However, satellites near Promethei Planum began reporting strange phenomena that gave the region a 'Bermuda Triangle' reputation, mostly unexplained magnetic field shifts. 

In 2148, a prospecting team led by Mateus Silva had begun exploring near the Deseado Crater, and had found the source of these disturbances when they unearthed a subterranean Prothean ruin. The ruins had contained a malfunctioning mass effect core and several starships, as well as refined element zero. After a global effort, the information remaining in the ruins' computers had been translated, identifying the structure as a former observation and biosciences station, set up to receive and process data from Earth as the Protheans had studied Cro-Magnon humans. 

After that, the Mars Archives had been constructed so that scientists could study what the Protheans had left behind. 

And at one of the research terminal deep within the facility sat a single lone asari, Dr. Liara T’Soni, thoroughly engrossed in her research. Around her, the resident human scientists eyed her warily, but Liara ignored them and continued on with her translations. 

After the events of the Bahak system, the former archaeologist had realized what little time the galaxy had left before the Reapers arrived. Admiral Hackett had known it too and had requested the new Shadow Broker for her aid in finding a way to stop them. 

Her first stop had been to the asari homeworld, Thessia. To her surprise, the archives there had contained very little information, none of which she could use against the Reapers. 

But her former teacher, Dr. Alene Passante, had suggested that she investigate the much more sizable Prothean ruins on Kahje. Gaining access to the archive had not been easy, only once she’d offered some “funding” for an upcoming festival had the hanar permitted her to visit the archive-turned-shrine. And although her welcome to the shrine hadn’t been the friendliest, she’d discovered a promising lead in the form of encryption keys for three other – older - Prothean archives. 

One of which was her current location. 

With Hackett’s help she’d arrived at the Archives a month ago and had immediately set to work; translating the data that the encryption key had unlocked to see if there was anything that could help their cycle stop the sentient machines. And she’d struck gold when she’d discovered a blueprint for a weapon that could – theoretically – wipe out the Reapers. 

“Manuel! Did you hear? Earth’s been hit by the Reapers! !” 

At the word ‘Reapers’ Liara lifted her head from her research to look at the pair of scientists not far from her. “Earth’s been attacked?” she queried the two human males. ‘ _Goddess, I hope Shepard’s alright!_ ’ 

“The news is covering what they can. From the looks of things they just cut right through Earth's defences!” 

“I’m not surprised. Look at how many ships Sovereign took down during the Battle of the Citadel. And that was just one of them!” Another scientist spoke up, his eyes wide with shock as he processed the news. “With a whole fleet of the synthetic bastards attacking at once, Earth didn’t stand a chance.” 

The sudden explosion of gunfire coming from the next room drew everyone’s attention away from their conversation. 

“What’s going on?” 

 That question was answered pretty quickly when one of the attackers tossed a frag grenade into the midst of the scientists. 

“ **Run!** ” one of them bellowed just before it detonated. 

Liara barely had enough time to get to cover before several heavily-armoured troopers burst into the room and began to violently gun down the remaining researchers as they tried to flee.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

****

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / En route to Mars / SSV Normandy SR-2 / Deck 5: Shuttle Bay_**  

Shepard - now fully kitted out in the N7 armour - stood at the weapons bench checking his armaments. Aside from the Avenger and Predator that he’d brought with him from Earth, he was also now packing an M-23 Katana Shotgun and an M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle. Assured that his weapons were all in working order he collapsed them before clipping them to their respective places on his weapons harness. 

‘ _They’re not Spectre weapons, but they’ll have to do. For now._ ’ He’d look into new arms when they went to the Citadel. ‘ _The C-Sec Req. Officer is probably gonna be pissed. This has got to be the fifth time I’ve had to requisition the HMWs._ ’ His old weapons had been confiscated when he’d been arrested, though Hackett had assured him that they’d be returned when the marine was released. 

“I think you mean ‘if’ sir, **If** I’m released,” he’d responded at the time. 

“No, Shepard. I meant what I said. As you yourself have repeatedly stated; the Reapers are coming. And when they get here, we’re going to need someone who’s fought these things before leading the charge against them.” 

“No pressure, then?” Shepard had wryly responded. 

“Ready to go, Skipper,” Ashley’s voice broke Shepard from his thoughts and the marine turned to face his comrades as they approached him, both of them likewisely armoured up, their helmets clipped to their belts. 

Ashley, he noted, was similarly armed as he, minus the Katana. Vega, however, was only packing an M-8 and an M-23. 

“We’re just about to enter Mars’ atmosphere, Commander,” Joker reported over the comm. 

“Thanks Joker. They Normandy’s yours. Try not to let her get blown up or let a hostile race board her and kidnap all the crew. 

“Hey, that only happened once! And you wiped out the Collectors; no way are they going to be able try and pull that stunt again!” 

“So you say,” the Spectre drawled back. “EDI, raise the Archives on a secure channel - and Liara, too, if possible – to let them know that we’re coming.” 

“Right away, Commander.” 

Shepard turned to his squad. “Alright everyone, time to rock’n’roll. You sure you know how to pilot this thing, James?” 

“He does. But I don’t know if I’d trust him to do so, Commander,” a voice spoke up from behind Shepard and the Spectre turned to face the newcomer, a dark-skinned and blue-eyed man who had snapped to attention. “Lieutenant Steve Cortez at your service,” Cortez introduced himself to his CO. “I’m the Normandy’s assigned shuttle pilot.” 

“Nice to meet you, Lieutenant,” Shepard returned the salute. 

“You afraid I’ll steal your thunder, Esteban?” Vega jabbed. 

“I’m sure that the Commander and Lieutenant Commander Williams want to be able to stay in one piece, Mr Vega. Which won’t be happening if you get behind the wheel,” the shuttle pilot retorted. 

‘ _I like this guy already,_ ’ Shepard chuckled to himself for a moment before turning serious. “I’m assuming that you have a set of armour?” the Spectre queried Cortez. 

Cortez nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

“Then gear up. I want to get going ASAP.” 

“Give me ten and I’ll be ready to go.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

 **_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars / Mars Archives_**  

Liara sat crouched behind some crates in one of the Archives many corridors as she sought to avoid her pursuers, a grill to the air conditioning ducts a few paces from her position. 

Once they’d discovered her, the assailant’s had started coming after her with a vengeance. 

Thus she found herself in her current predicament. 

“I thought I saw her come this way,” the voice of one trooper reached her ears and Liara tensed, bringing her submachine gun to bear and flaring her biotics. 

With her own M-12 Locust and M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol back in her room, she’d had to pilfer her current armaments – an M-25 Hornet and an M-358 Talon - off of a slain trooper. It was whilst she was retrieving the weapons that she’d discovered who the assailants were; Cerberus. 

‘ _You did tell the Illusive Man to send an army after you the next time that he wanted to take you out,_ ’ the asari had grimly reminded herself upon the discovery. ‘ _And it looks like he listened to your advice._ ’ 

Two months ago, the pro-human organization had sent several ships to the Sowilo system with the intent of capturing her. Her response had been a kamikaze run into the dreadnought. Just before she committed to the action, the Illusive Man had contacted her, proposing an alliance between them to stop the Reapers. When she’d refused, he’d warned her that he had her exactly where he wanted her and that there was no escape. “That’s what you think,” she’d retorted before setting the ship’s course. 

What her foe hadn’t known is that she’d been controlling the old Broker’s hulking ship remotely from the safety of one of the six new Normandy-class frigates that the yahg had had commissioned before his death, the ISV Canrum. So when the old ship and the Cerberus dreadnought had gone up in flames, she and Feron had been on the other side of Hagalaz, safe and very much alive, using the Canrum’s stealth system to keep them undetected. But she’d known that the Illusive Man would eventually catch on to her deception. 

Those thoughts had been proven right on Kajhe, just prior to her coming to Mars. Having dealt with the welcoming party that had been sent there before her, she’d accessed the data to discover the encryption keys before a communication had come through. The Cerberus CEO had denied that the sword-wielding assassin that had almost killed her and her guide, a drell named Quoyle. He’d also once again proposed an alliance between them. When she’d asked him to upload the data he had, he’d faltered and she’d seen the truth; he had no information to offer and just wanted to see what she had, she’d uttered those now infamous words to him just before she’d severed the communication. 

So whether the Illusive Man’s forces had come to Mars for her or something else entirely – namely the blueprints that she’d found - remained to be seen. 

But she suspected that she’d find out soon enough. 

Her train of thought was broken when her Omni-tool began to beep, alerting her that someone was trying to contact her. 

' _Who could be trying to get a hold of me now?_ ’ 

Unfortunately, the sound also gave away her position to her pursuers. 

“There she is!” 

“After her!” 

With no other choice, Liara fled into the ducts, briefly consulting the compound’s schematics as she moved. If she could reach the entrance, she could commandeer one of Cerberus vehicles and try and get a message to either Admiral Hackett or Shepard.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

 **_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / in Orbit around Mars_**  

The space around Mars was devoid of any activity as the Normandy dropped out of faster than light travel and into the planet’s atmosphere, continuing on its trajectory towards the Archives. When it was in acceptable range of the outpost, one of the frigate’s two Kodiak shuttles lifted off from the hangar and continued on its way to the planet’s surface.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

 **_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Kodiak shuttle / En route the Mars Archives_**  

“Message coming from the Normandy, Commander,” Cortez, clad in set of latest-gen Onyx armour, alerted his CO from the cockpit. 

After putting on his helmet and securing it, Shepard stepped into the space, stopping behind the pilot’s chair. “Let’s hear it.” 

“ _Joker here, Commander. We’ve been trying to reach the Archives like you asked us to, but no-one’s responding._ ” 

“What about Liara? Any luck in contacting her?” 

“ _Nada._ ” 

‘ _Something’s **definitely** not right here,_ ’ “What about the facility itself? Any sign of trouble?” 

“ _The base appears to be online and functional,_ ” EDI informed him. “ _It is possible that the occupants could have already been evacuated prior to our arrival._ ” 

“True,” Shepard conceded. “But then why would Liara not respond to the Normandy’s hails to tell us that?” the Spectre questioned before shaking his head. “Never mind, we’ll find out soon enough. Be ready though, Joker. Just in case.” 

“ _Roger that, Commander. Normandy out._ ” 

“We’re almost there,” Cortez alerted the three marines as he neared a suitable landing zone; a small plateau that was a click north from the Archives. “You’d better get moving. There’s a massive storm headed our way and once it hits we’re going to have trouble keeping up comms with the Normandy.” 

“How long ‘till it hits?” 

“Half hour. Tops.”

 “Alright. Thanks, Cortez.” 

“All part of the service, Commander.” 

“Alright,” Shepard turned to Vega and Ashley as he drew his Avenger. “You heard the man. Time’s against us, so we get in, get what we’re after and then get out.” 

“What’s the ROE?” Vega questioned 

“Don’t fire unless fired upon. Until we know what’s going on, at least. Then, we’ll see. Also, voice modules off, radio contact only.” 

“Understood, Commander.” - “Yes, sir.” 

Ashley and Vega responded together before switching off their voice modules. 

“Touching down now, Commander,” Cortez announced as he landed the shuttle. 

“Thanks, Cortez _,”_ Shepard responded before turning back to his squad and disengaging his own voice module. _“Move out!_ ” he ordered. 

Leaving the Kodiak, James let out a whistle as they laid eyes on the massive front of the dust storm that was coming their way. “ _Man, that’s a huge storm. Looks even bigger in person._ ” 

“ _C’mon, Lieutenant. It’s not **that** bad._ ” Ashley responded. 

Vega glanced at her as they moved across the plateau, which was littered with westward facing solar panels that served as the base’s main source of power. “ _Doesn’t mean that it can’t kill us._ ” 

Ashley just shook her head. “ _I’m more worried about the war back on Earth. And the fact that nobody here is reporting in._ ” 

“ _Fair enough._ ” Vega conceded as ahead of them, Shepard dropped off of the raised ground onto a narrow path below. The Hispanic marine followed suit, then Ashley. But something in her peripheral vision caught her eye as she went to move off. “ _Hold up a second, Skipper!_ ” she called out to the two men, who were already a few meters up the path. 

Shepard turned back. “ _What’s u-_ ” he started to ask, but then saw what had caught her attention; a slain Alliance marine. 

“ _He got any ID on him?_ ” Shepard questioned as he backtracked to Ashley’s position while she squatted by the body and rolled it over. Instantly they all saw the marine’s CoD; a single GSW to the forehead. 

“ _Sergeant Thomas Reeves._ ” Ashley reported to her CO. 

“ _Doesn’t look like he put up much of a fight,_ ” Vega commented, referring to the deceased marines armaments, which were all still collapsed and holstered on his weapons harness. 

“ _By the looks of the shot, he was taken out at range._ ” Shepard observed. “ _Someone didn’t want word getting back to the Archives that there were invaders incoming._ ” 

Any further speculation was halted by the sound two gunshots piercing the air for somewhere ahead of their position. 

“ _What the hell! ?_ ” James exclaimed. 

“ _Move!_ ” Shepard barked. 

The three marines moved quickly across the rough terrain until they came across an outcropping. As they took cover behind it, two more shots were heard. When the sound’s echo faded the trio peaked over their cover to assess the situation. Below them, they could see at least five heavily armoured soldiers clustered in front of a white ATV. Two of them, one restraining a fellow Alliance marine, another armed with a pistol – the executioner – were in their line of sight, whilst the remaining three were off to the side, guarding the remaining prisoners. All around the group were bodies of their slain captives, and as they watched, another was gunned down. 

“ _Sons of bitches!_ ” Vega cursed as he began to leave their cover, but Shepard grabbed his arm and forced him back down. 

“ _Not yet!_ ” 

“ _Those are our own that’re getting slaughtered down there!_ ” Vega growled. 

“ _I know that, James,_ ” Shepard replied patiently as he swapped his Avenger for his Mantis and signalled Ashley to do the same. “ _But we need to thin their numbers first, improve our odds, before we engage them._ ” 

“ _There’s only five of them!_ ” 

“ _Here there is, but look up the hill. I count at least two vehicles and there’s likely more that we can’t see,_ ” Shepard pointed out. 

“ _And where there’s vehicles, there’s bound to be more troopers._ ” Ashley summed up 

“ _Right. And once we start firing, we’ll draw their attention. And then God knows how many we’ll be facing._ ” 

Though he made a sound of frustration, Vega could see what Shepard was trying to tell him. “ _Orders?_ ” 

“ _Ash and I can snipe from up here. Once we engage, you hit the battlefield and deal with any stragglers we miss. Keep an eye out for any marines who’re still alive and help them if you can._ ” 

“ _And speaking of marines. Look!_ ” 

At Ashley’s warning, Shepard glanced over his cover to see a two of the invaders dragging a marine to the executioner. 

“ _I’ll take left, you take right,”_ Shepard instructed the female marine. _“Hopefully we’ll give our man down there a chance to grab a weapon and start fighting back._ ” 

“ _Roger that, Skipper._ ” Ashley replied as she set up her sniper rifle and Shepard followed suit. 

“ _On three,_ ” the Spectre informed his fellow sniper once they were in position. “ _One,_ ” closing an eye, Shepard sighted his target through the scope of his rifle. “ _Two,_ ” he lined up the rifle’s crosshairs on the invader’s head. “ _Three!_ ” Together he and Ashley squeezed their triggers simultaneously. 

Both their rifles gave an almighty roar as below them, the two targets dropped like a sack of potatoes. And instantly, like Shepard had predicted, the remaining troopers ran into the open and opened fire on the trio, forgetting completely about their captive. Over the gun fire a cacophony of shouts were heard. 

“Engage!” 

“Throw down your weapons! We won’t hurt you!” 

“These guys don’t fight like scientists!” 

“Call for back u-” the last shout was brought to an abrupt halt by Vega as the burly marine joined the fray of battle, making his way towards the downed – but still breathing - captive. Shepard saw Vega offer his Avenger to the marine as Ashley picked off the last attacker. 

“ _Clear!_ ” came Vega’s call over the radio. 

“ _On our way._ ” Collapsing his Mantis, Shepard holstered the M-23 and then drew his Avenger before he and Ash left cover and trekked down to the pair bellow. 

As he moved the symbol, a black hexagonal oval with two gold side-bars, that was painted on the ATV’s side caught Shepard’s eye. 

‘ _The Illusive Man used the chaos of the Reapers arrival on Earth to mask an assault here from the Alliance’s attention. But what’s he after?_ ’ Shepard wondered, but stored his thoughts away for later before engaging his voice module and addressing their new addition. “You alright there, marine?” 

“Yes, sir. A little shaken, but otherwise fine. Sergeant Dastan Ryker, reporting in, sir,” the young sergeant snapped to attention. 

“At ease, marine. Staff Commander Xavier Shepard,” the Spectre returned the greeting before introducing Ashley and Vega. 

“Shepard? As in **the** Commander Shepard? Hero of the Skylian Blitz, first human Spectre and Saviour of the Citadel Shepard?” 

“What happened here?” Ashley queried, getting their conversation back on track before the young marine could get anymore star-struck. 

“Couldn’t tell you for sure. All I know is that my squad was out on patrol when they hit. Took out all the sentries first and then gathered the rest of us together and started executing us.” 

“That emblem on the truck, that’s Cerberus’ logo, right?” Vega questioned Shepard and the Spectre nodded his head in conformation. 

“Did any of them go into the Archives?” 

Ryker shook his head. “Couldn’t say. Sorry.” 

“Omega Squad, do you copy?” a radio near Shepard’s foot squawked to life. “Omega Squad, come in!” 

“Looks like we might have incoming. Get to the crates.” Shepard ordered. 

“ _What’s Cerberus doing here on Mars, Skipper?_ ” Ashley inquired privately via the radio as the four moved quickly and quietly to their cover; several stacks of storage boxes that were further up the path. 

“ _Good question,_ ” came his reply. 

“ _You don’t know?_ ” she fished. 

“ _I’m not with them anymore if that’s what you asking, Ash,_ ” Shepard answered shortly. 

“ _It wasn’t,_ ” she hastily replied. “ _But you have to admit; it’s a bit convenient._ ” 

Shepard silently agreed as he took cover. Ahead of their position, he could see the movement of another Cerberus squad behind on of the ATVs. “Omega Squad’s not responding. We gotta check it out,” he heard one tell the others as they rounded one of the vehicles and straight into the Alliance squad’s firing line. 

“ _Open fire!_ ” Shepard ordered. 

The invaders didn’t know what hit them, and several were gunned down before the rest dove for cover and began firing back. 

“What the hell? !” 

“I thought we dealt with security?” 

Shepard popped out of cover and sent a trooper staggering by shooting his leg, allowing Vega and Ashley to advance onto the battlefield. 

“I don’t think they’re regular marines!” 

“You’re damn straight we aren’t, Cerberus bastards!” Ryker shouted as he abandoned his cover to gun down the wounded trooper. “This is for my squad, you son of a bitch!” 

But as the young marine turned to dish out some more payback on the remaining invaders, a targeting lazer appeared over his heart. His body jerked uncontrollably as the shots - three in all - hit home before he tumbled forward, face-planting into the desolate Martian soil where he remained, unmoving. 

‘ _Goddamnit!_ ’ Shepard cursed. “ _Watch yourselves, there’s a sniper somewhere above us!_ ” he warned the others. 

“ _I got her!_ ” Ashley hollered back from her position behind a rocky outcropping twenty meters ahead of the Spectre. Taking aim with her Mantis and squeezing off a single round. “ _Scoped and dropped!_ ” she announced a second later as behind her Shepard took out the last trooper. 

“ _Clear?_ ” the Spectre questioned. 

“ _All targets down, Commander,_ ” Vega confirmed as he re-appeared from behind one of the Cerberus land vehicles, once again wielding his Avenger. 

“ _Re-group._ ” 

“ _God damn murdering sons of bitches!_ ” Vega growled. 

“ _You can say that again, James,_ ” Shepard shared the younger marine’s fury for their fallen comrade. “ _But we’ll make them pay for every Alliance life they’ve taken._ ” 

“ _Odd that there’s only three vehicles here,_ ” Ashley commented as re-joined her teammates, swapping her M-92 for her Avenger as she moved. “ _You’d need nothing short of a full battalion to lay siege to this place normally_.” 

“ _Which means that the Illusive Man must have someone on the inside._ ” Shepard summed up as they made their way into freight elevator that made up the Archives entrance. 

“ _Hey, Commander, didn’t you tell me that you told Cerberus to go screw themselves after you destroyed the Collector base they were after?_ ” Vega queried as Shepard stopped at the lift’s control panel. 

“ _That’s exactly what I did, James,_ ” Shepard responded, turning his head and nodding it in thanks to the younger marine for supporting him. 

Ashley, however, wasn’t swayed. As Shepard closed the outside doors and began to pressurize the lift, she holstered her assault rifle and stalked over to him. “ _I need a straight answer, X._ ” 

Shepard, after stowing his Avenger, heaved a sigh briefly leaning against the safety railing. ‘ _What does a man have to do around here to prove that he’s a loyal Alliance marine?’_ he pondered exasperatedly. ‘ _Lord give me strength,_ ’ “ _Ash…_ ” 

“ _Don’t ‘Ash’ me. This is business!_ ” Ashley responded sharply, not one bit pacified. “ _Do you know anything about this? Why Cerberus is here?_ ” 

Shepard turned to face her, his temper starting to rise. “ _What makes you think that I know what their up to?_ ” 

“ _You worked for them, for God’s sake! How am I supposed to believe that you’ve cut all ties?_ ” 

“ _With,_ ” Shepard corrected 

“ _What?_ ” 

“ _I worked **with** them. Not **for** them. Little word, big difference. And we joined forces temporarily to take down the Collectors. That’s it._ ” 

Ashley shook her head, still not convinced. “ _There’s more to it,_ ” she pressed doggedly. “ _They re-built you from scratch. They gave you a ship, resources…_ ” 

The Spectre felt his head beginning to throb with the beginnings of a headache starting to form. “ _Let me be clear,_ ” he ground out, getting frustrated at the lack of trust from woman he’d once considered his paramour. “ _I’ve had absolutely **no contact** from the Illusive Man, or anyone else within Cerberus, since I destroyed the Collector base._” 

“ _I can vouch for that,_ ” Vega entered the conversation. “ _The Commander’s been under constant surveillance since he gave himself over to Alliance custody last year. There’s no way anyone could have contacted him whilst he was on Earth without the Alliance knowing._ ” 

‘ _Miranda could have, if she’d wanted to,_ ’ Shepard silently added, smiling with pride at his girlfriend’s skills before he addressed Ashley again. “ _I also have no idea why there here now, or what they want. Understand?_ ” 

“ _Sorry, Skipper. I just…_ ” the rest of Ashley’s words were drowned out by the rush of air that filtered into the room then, equalising it with the rest of the base before the lift began to rise upwards. As the lift moved, its three passengers moved to the middle of the platform and removed their helmets. 

“I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you, Ash,” Shepard stated as he turned to regard his former flame for a moment as the roof above them opened and the lift entered the facility’s vehicle bay. “With everything that we’ve been through, you - of all people - should know what I’m about.” Not waiting for a response, Shepard turned and strode off the now stationary elevator. 

Ashley was quick to catch up with him. 

“X, I’m sorry.” 

Sighing again, Shepard looked at her as he moved. “I understand your doubts, Ash. All I’m asking is that you trust the guy that you used to know, ‘cause that’s who I still am. Cerberus didn’t change me.” 

“I do trust you, X-” 

A sudden noise from above sent the three marines scrabbling for cover behind a single Cerberus vehicle that was parked in the bay. Drawing his Predator, Shepard signalled for the others to wait until he investigated the situation. Peeking his head around the ATV, he watched the area ahead of them like a hawk as the thumping and the occasional ping of a bullet ricocheting within the shaft - coming from the air conditioning ducts above them he discovered - grew steadily louder and louder. ‘ _Sounds like someone’s trying to escape,”_ Shepard mused. _‘And Cerberus is giving chase._ ’ 

Who the escapee was soon revealed itself as seconds later the duct’s grill was violently kicked open and his old friend and team-mate, Liara T’Soni, dropped onto the walkway above them and into Shepard’s line of sight when she vaulted over some barrels and dropped down onto the lower level. Not stopping, she unknowingly made her way towards the Spectre’s cover as her pursuers came into view. Upon hearing the Cerberus troopers touch down behind her, Liara turned, her biotics flaring about her body as she hurled a Singularity back at them. The invaders were instantly caught up in the dark energy sphere’s black hole like gravity pull and were now at the asari maiden’s mercy. Liara wasted no time in gunning them down. A single shot and they dropped like flies onto the floor below, where the asari quickly finished them off with two shots to the head each. 

Behind his cover, Shepard scanned the area for any more threats. Assured that things were safe, he signalled his team that it was clear before rising and striding out into Liara’s view, holstering his pistol as he went. Vega flanked him, but the Lieutenant was still wielding his Avenger which the Spectre spotted as the younger man drew level with him. 

“Easy there, James,” Shepard spoke, pausing and putting his hand on Vega’s weapon to force the muzzle down and away from Liara. “She’s who we’re looking for.” 

“Shepard! You’re alright! Thank the Goddess!” the relief in the asari’s voice was palpable as she approached the trio and greeted the Spectre with a hug. 

“Touché, T’Soni,” the marine replied as they drew apart and he looked her over. 

Liara was clad in the same white and blue armour that she’d had custom-made for herself when she’d settled on Illium two and a half years ago to become an information broker. In the process of achieving her goals, she’d also set up a now very successful analytics company which she’d left to her second-in-command when she’d become the new Shadow Broker. 

“When we heard the news…” she trailed off, unwilling to put voice to the words that had immediately flooded her mind when the broadcast had first arrived. “They hit Earth hard?” 

“Harder then we’d anticipated. Downright brutal. It was hard to watch. Even harder to leave behind.” 

“You can say that again,” Ashley echoed. 

The Shadow Broker turned to the other two marines. “Ashley, I’m sorry. To you too, Lieutenant.” 

Vega startled when Liara addressed him, not expecting to be recognised. “You know who I am?” he questioned. 

The asari nodded her head. “Treeya told me of the events on Fehl Prime. I’m sorry.” 

“Yeah…” Vega responded half-heartedly before looking away. 

Shepard furrowed his brow, the name tickling his memory for some reason. ‘ _Wait a minute! Now I remember; Miranda mentioned it. Fehl Prime was one of the last colonies to be hit by the Collectors prior to me getting back on my feet._ ’ Aloud he questioned Liara “Treeya?” 

“Dr. Treeya Nuwani. A former student of mine,” she informed him before getting back to business. “But why did you come here?” 

“Hackett ordered us to come. Said that you’d know what was going on.” 

“I do,” Liara confirmed as he turned away and strode to a nearby window, the three marines hot on her heels. Behind him, Shepard heard Vega mutter, “Hallelujah. Some answers. Finally!” as they moved. 

“So what can you tell us?” the Spectre questioned 

“I’ve discovered plans for a Prothean device in the Archives. One that could wipe out the Reapers.” 

“We’ve known about the Archives for decades, though. Why now?”

“Process of elimination mixed with a little desperation. When you destroyed the Alpha Relay, you bought us some time. But then you handed yourself into Alliance custody and was unable to do any more to help the galaxy prepare for the Reapers. I knew that someone needed to ‘step up to the plate’, as you humans say. Hackett knew it as well, so he contacted me and asked if I’d use my resources as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers.” 

“Wait,” Ashley cut in. “Liara’s the Shadow Broker? Since when?” 

Shepard raised a hand to stop her rapid-fire questions. “Story for another time, Ash,” he informed her before nodding at Liara to continue. 

“Eventually my search led me here. Hackett got me access and kept me updated on your status.” Liara stopped then, and look of guilt washed over her features. “I meant to come and see you, but-” 

Shepard raised a hand to shush his friend. “It’s fine, Liara,” he assured her. “This was more important. I doubt I would have been much help anyway.” 

“Don’t doubt yourself. You have the Cypher at your disposal, remember?” 

“So this device, it’s a weapon? One that can blow the Reapers to Hell and back?” 

“It will become a weapon, if we can build it. For now, all we’ve got is the device’s blueprints.” 

“Well, it’s more than we had we had a minute ago. Where are the blueprints now? 

“In the Archives.” Liara pointed out the window to the facility’s central hub, where the Prothean artifacts were kept. Shepard also noted that the dust storm outside was beginning to thicken. “We’ll need to get to the tramway and take a tram to the other side, assuming that Cerberus hasn’t already locked it down.” 

“What are they after?” 

“Yeah, they seemed hell bent on catching you,” Vega commented. 

“I’m not certain, but I suspect that they could be after the blueprints as well.” 

“But why?” 

“The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans for something that could wipe them out, but ran out of time to complete it.” 

“And anything powerful enough to stop the Reapers might just be something Cerberus would be interested in getting their hands on,” Ashley summarized. 

“But to do what?” Shepard queried. “Destroying the Reapers doesn’t fit the Illusive Man’s MO,” the Spectre pointed out. “Controlling them, maybe. But destroying something that he could use to future humanity’s place in the galaxy? Not likely.” 

“Regardless, we need to get there before they do.” 

Shepard nodded his head at that. “Agreed.” 

“So it’s a race to the Archives, then?” Vega questioned. 

An explosion rocked the room then, diverting the quartet’s attention from each other to the incoming threat. Above them, sparks began to fly from the door as Cerberus cut it open from the other side. 

“Looks like we’ve got company,” Ashley noted as the four returned to the centre of the room, weapons drawn and ready to face the invaders. “We should find cover.” 

“Bring it on!” Vega exclaimed as he made a move to join the others, but then Shepard was suddenly in his path, blocking him. 

“Not you, James,” the Spectre shook his head. 

“What?” 

“I need you to head back to the shuttle and update Cortez on the situation. If Cerberus manages to beat us to the Archives I want the Kodiak guarding the exit to stop them from getting away.” 

“But…” 

“Now, Lieutenant,” Shepard ordered in a non-negotiable tone of voice as he approached the lift’s holographic controls, briefly glancing over his shoulder to check the invaders progress before turning his steely gaze on the Hispanic marine as he activated the platform and sent it back to ground level. 

“Understood, Commander,” Vega reluctantly acknowledged his CO’s commands and stepped onto the lift as it began to descend. 

“They’re almost through, Skipper. Better find cover,” Ashley advised Shepard as James disappeared from their view. 

“Roger that, LC,” the Spectre responded as he did just that, ducking behind one of two Archives ground vehicles that were stationed at the very back of the bay. “Liara, can you create a Singularity when they burst through the door?” 

“Understood, Commander,” Liara responded for her cover - the second vehicle that was just a few meters from Shepard’s. 

“Bastards won’t know what hit ‘em,” Ashley chuckled lightly from her place behind Liara. 

“My thoughts exactly, Ash. Easy pickings.” 

“Here they come!” Liara alerted her human companions. 

Above them, they heard a _whump_ sound out as a part of the severed door hit the ground. Followed by at shout of “There she is! There’s the asari bitch!” as the troopers – six in all, Shepard counted – entered the room and opened fire on the trio below. 

“Now Liara!” The Spectre ordered as he popped out of cover to fire up at the troopers as behind them a dark energy sphere burst into existence and immediately sucked the Cerberus soldiers from their cover. 

“What the-” one of them started to shout in surprise as his feet left the ground. But he was quickly silenced as a barrage of bullets hit the group as they floated helplessly, tearing into their armour and spilling their lifeblood in a matter of moments. 

“All targets down, Commander.” Liara reported when the last trooper fell and the trio left their respective cover. 

“Then let’s keep moving.” 

The trio stepped onto the nearby elevator and Ashley hit the controls to send it skywards. 

Nothing happened. 

Ashley made a sound of frustration as Liara stepped in to look at the controls. 

“Looks like they’ve sabotaged it somehow,” the asari reported to the two humans after a few moments of examination. “We’ll have to find another way up.” 

“Any ideas?” Shepard questioned. 

“Just one,” came her reply as she eyed one of the nearby vehicle elevators.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“ _Shepard, take cover!_ ” Liara urgently whispered over the radio a few minutes later as the squad entered the upper level. 

The Spectre immediately saw what had prompted the warning as just ahead of them a fleeing scientist was gunned down by a trooper. The group had just slid into cover behind some piping when a Cerberus radio crackled to life. 

“ _This is Tango Squad._ _We’ve done a sweep of the residence. It’s clear. Go and check on Alpha Squad, they’re not reporting in._ ” 

“We’re on it. Bravo Squad out.” 

“We **still** on clean-up duty?” a second trooper complained as Shepard sidled along his cover until he was level with the first trooper. 

“Yeah. Some scientists are putting up a fight over in the vehicle bay.” 

“Let’s go get ‘em!” a third Cerberus soldier voiced his opinion. 

‘ _At least three,_ ’ Shepard thought to himself as he signalled Ashley and Liara to move past him. “ _You two deal with the others. This one’s mine. On my mark._ ” 

“ _And what mark would that be Skipper?_ ” 

“ _This!_ ” 

Bursting out of his cover, Shepard grabbed the unsuspecting trooper by the back of his armour and hauled him back over the pipe, slamming him into the ground near his feet. 

“What the hell!” the Cerberus grunt exclaimed as Shepard activated his Omni-Blade and rammed it into the trooper's chest - killing him instantly - as beside him Ashley and Liara exploded into action against the remaining enemy forces. 

“Who are these guys?” 

“The Alliance must’ve sent reinforcements!” 

“This is Bravo Squad. We’ve found the-” the trooper’s report was halted when Liara tagged the speaker with Warp and he went down screaming before the combined fire-power from the asari and Shepard finished him off. A final burst of fire-power from Ashley’s Avenger followed by the lieutenant commander’s “All clear!” 

“We’ll need to access the pedway to get to the next building. The controls are in the next room.” Liara advised. 

“Lead the way,” was Shepard’s response and Liara took point. 

“This is a secure station. How did Cerberus get in?” Ashley questioned the former-archaeologist as they moved. 

“I’m afraid that I don’t know any more in that regard then you do, Lieutenant,” the asari replied. “We’d only just gotten reports of the invasion on Earth when they hit the facility. After that, chaos erupted. We didn’t even realise it was Cerberus at first.” 

“Could they be working with the Reapers?” Ashley queried, her gaze shifting back to her CO 

“Doubtful.” Shepard shook his head as they reached their destination and Liara settled in front of one of the monitors. “But I suppose anything is possible. Need any help?” The Spectre asked the asari as he holstered his M-8. 

“You should be able to access the pedway controls on the monitor in front of you.” 

The two set to work, lapsing into silence as Ashley remained on guard just outside the doorway. After a few more moments, Liara let out a frustrated huff. 

Shepard looked up from his own work. “Anything?” he questioned as Ashley glanced back at the two of them. 

The asari shook her head. “I can’t unlock the live feeds. You?” 

Before Shepard could respond, movement on one of the monitors caught Ashley’s attention. “Hey, did you see that? Who’s that women in the vid?” she queried, referring to the petite woman that had appeared in the recording. 

“That’s Dr. Eva Coré. She arrived here about a week ago.” Liara informed her companions as they watched the doctor type something into one of the terminals before darting away. “Anything?” the asari parroted Shepard’s own words back at him, snapping attention away from the recording. 

The Spectre shook his head. “The pedway’s been locked down,” he reported. “Is there any other way to get across?” 

“They were doing some construction nearby. We can use the maintenance hatch to get out on the roof and find a way round to the cafeteria from there.” 

“Let’s move.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

The winds that met the trio when they stepped out of the airlock buffeted them mercilessly and only their mag boots kept them from being blown away. 

“ _Storm’s getting closer,_ ” Ashley observed. 

“ _Then we need to pick up the pace. Ten minutes have already passed._ ” Shepard informed his companions as they moved as quickly as they could across the construction. 

As they dropped down onto a lower platform, the sight of two trams engaged in a firefight as they crossed the tramway caught the group’s attention. 

“ _What the hell?_ ” Ashley exclaimed as they watched the gunfight play out before their eyes. 

“ _Looks like the remaining Alliance forces are still putting up a fight._ ” Shepard noted. 

“ _With good reason. That tramway is the only way to access the Archives. If Cerberus gets through, they’ll be at the final security checkpoint._ ” 

“ _And then they’ll likely bar anyone else from getting across._ ” 

“ _C-C-Commander? D-Do you c-c-copy?_ ” Cortez voice came over the radio then, cutting into the squad’s conversation. 

“ _I copy, Cortez. Did James bring you up to speed?_ ” 

“ _Affirmative. We’re p-parked… -e-e-entrance, watching it… -ith eagle eyes... -j-j-just lost contact… Nor-Normandy. W-W-What’s your p-_ ” Static suddenly drowned out the shuttle pilot’s voice. 

“ _I didn’t read that, Cortez. Repeat your last._ ” 

“ _I-I-I-I said: Wha-_ ” Once again the transmission was overcome with static. 

“ _Damnit!_ ” Shepard cussed. “ _Looks like we’re on our own from here on out,_ ” the Spectre informed his team. 

“ _Cortez? As in Lieutenant Steve Cortez?_ ” Liara queried the two humans as they moved on. 

“ _You know him?_ ” Ashley questioned. 

“ _He’s a survivor from the Collector attacks last year_.” 

“ _Outside of the colonists on Horizon and the ones we managed to free when we hit the Collector base I didn’t know there were any other survivors._ ” Shepard commented, his surprise at the news evident in his tone of voice, as he climbed a ladder that would take them to the upper platform. Liara and Ashley followed suit. “ _From what colony?_ ” 

“ _Ferris Fields. I was there with a small team the day it was hit, trying to gather some more intel on the Collectors. When we discovered his presence, I led a rescue party to retrieve him – but not before losing two of my squad when the Collector forces learned of our presence as we made our escape. This way._ ” 

Liara took the lead to show her companions where their entry point was. But when they reached it, the asari suddenly paused. 

“ _Liara?_ ” Shepard queried her lack of motion. But as he drew level her, he could see what had cause the abrupt halt. 

The door of the airlock was wide open. 

“ _This airlock **shouldn’t** be open._ ” Liara stated slowly. 

“ _Doesn’t look like it was forced,_ ” Ashley commented, passing Shepard and Liara to have a look at the door. 

“ _No, someone would have had to override security protocols inside._ ” 

“ _Our mole maybe?_ ” Shepard questioned. 

“ _We’ll see soon enough, I fear._ ”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

The sight that greeted them – other than pitch-black darkness, causing the trio to turn on their weapon’s inbuilt flashlights so that they could see – was a gruesome one. Opening the airlock had vented the air from the room, leaving all those inside to asphyxiate to a slow and painful death. Some had even tried to claw their way towards the next room. 

“ _This is brutal, even by Cerberus standards,_ ” Liara stated sombrely as they picked their way through the deceased scientists. 

“ _Be grateful that you weren’t with me last year when I investigated Project Overlord, then,_ ” Shepard informed her. 

“ _Bad?_ ” 

“ _Let’s just say my opinions of Cerberus and the Illusive Man are now six feet below rock bottom and leave it at that. Did you know anyone here?_ ” 

“ _Not personally. As the only asari here, I was viewed with a little suspicion. I spent most of my time alone researching and translating._ ” 

“ _Contact! Twelve o’clock!_ ” Ashley suddenly announced as movement ahead of them caught her eye. 

“ _Switch off your flashlights,_ ” Shepard ordered. 

Within seconds they were enveloped by darkness and the Spectre used it to creep forwards to the windows that divided the room, putting him in perfect striking position for another ambush. 

“Roger that, Delta Squad out.” 

“What’re our orders?” 

“There’s Alliance squad incoming. We’ve got to keep them away from the core at all costs. Check the next room.” 

“But it’s dark in there.” 

“So turn on the lights!” 

“ _Shepard, we can use the open airlock to our advantage._ ” Liara advised through the comm. “ _Shoot out the windows and we’ll decompress the next room as well, disorientating the troopers and making them easier targets._ ” 

Beneath his helmet, Shepard smiled wickedly. “ _I like the way you think, T’Soni,_ ” he told her. “ _Be ready with a Singularity._ ” 

“ _Aye, aye._ ” 

Readying his Avenger, the Spectre rose from his cover and slammed the butt of the assault rifle into the glass, shattering it completely. The Cerberus troops - one of whom was in the middle of saying there was nothing alive in the next room - shouted in surprise at the action. 

And then Liara’s biotic sphere appeared in their midst as Shepard’s squad began firing on them. 

Needless to say, things were over quickly.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“We’ll need to pressurize the room before we can access the labs to get through to the tram station.” Liara informed Shepard as she typed a few commands into the security station’s computer to get the pressurization underway. After a few moments the monitor flashed green, signalling the room was safe and the squad took of their helmets. 

“And it looks like there’s a recording of what happened here,” Liara informed her companions after studying the monitor for a few more moments. 

“Play it.” 

After typing in a few more commands, the recording appeared on screen. 

The trio watched as one of the now deceased security officers reported seeing some odd activity only for the pair to be suddenly gunned down by a familiar figure; one Dr. Eva Coré. The doctor then proceeded to open the cafeteria’s airlock and the squad watched in horror as all those inside suffocated and - one by one - dropped like flies. 

“Looks like we’ve finally found our mole,” Shepard grimly stated. 

“Son of a bitch!” Ashley growled from her place at the door. 

Liara remain silent and contemplative, her back still turned away from her comrades. 

Shepard approached her. “Liara?” 

“I should have seen it before,” she stated lowly whilst shaking her head at herself. 

“Seen what?” 

“Eva Coré was the name of one of the Illusive Man’s mercenary companions that fought alongside him during the First Contact War,” the asari explained to the human. “She died on Palaven shortly after. But I was too focused on decoding the blueprints, on finding a way to stop the Reapers to remember that. To realise that the Illusive Man’s been following me from the moment that he realised that I was the Shadow Broker. All these people…” 

Shepard cut into her speech. “Stopping the Reapers is the only thing that matters right now. What’s happened here? It’s Cerberus’ fault, Liara. Not yours. Period.” 

“But what if we’re wrong? What if there is no way to stop them and we end up spending our last days scurrying around trying to solve a problem that we can’t fix?” 

“Liara-” Shepard started to speak but Liara cut him off as she turned to face him. 

“I know what you going to say. ‘You can’t think that way, Liara. We’ll find a way to stop them. Together.’” The Spectre chuckled at her impersonation of him as she fell silent cocking her head to the side, seemingly studying him. “I don’t know how you do it sometimes,” she spoke after a few moments.

“Do what?” 

“Manage to stay focused on the task at hand, even in the worst situations.” 

“It’s not easy,” he admitted. “But when there is so much at stake, I just think about my friends and family. What I’d lose if I fail.” 

“That’s a terrible burden to carry around.” 

“As someone wise once said; ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ I’m not fond of being thrust in to the saviour role, but those are the cards that I’ve been dealt so I have to run with them. And at the risk of sounding terribly clichéd; we **will** stop them, Liara. Or I’ll die trying if I have to.” 

“Perhaps it’s not wise to tempt the fates. We need you alive if this is going to succeed.” 

“I’ll try not to inconvenience you, oh wise and mighty Shadow Broker,” Shepard drawled, earning Liara’s laughter. “C’mon, we better keep moving.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

The trip through the labs was relatively easy. 

At first they only encountered squads of regular troopers, but then two new units made themselves known. 

The first - which the group quickly dubbed as Centurions – seemed to be the tacticians of the new Cerberus force, directing and co-ordinating their attacks on Shepard’s squad as well as providing cover and concealment of their positions with smoke bombs. When Shepard – wielding his Katana - darted into one of the smoke clouds to take the opposing squad by surprise, he ran smack-bang into the second; a heavily-armoured and shield-bearing Guardian. 

Unable to get a clear shot thanks to the soldier’s heavy shield and his own kinetic barriers quickly being drained by the Guardian’s shotgun-like heavy pistol, the Spectre was forced shoot his foe at point-blank range in order to stagger him so that he could safely retreat back to his team. Taking cover to allow his shields to regenerate, Shepard reported his findings to his companions, advising them that they needed to either take the Guardians out at range with sniper rifles or strip their shields from them to make them easier targets. 

Using that advice, Liara created a Singularity in their enemies midst, pulling many of them from cover and ripping the Guardians shields right out of their hands, leaving them wide open to the volley of arm’s fire that was streaking their way. 

Realising that they couldn’t win, the remaining Cerberus forces beat a hasty retreat, locking and sealing their exit behind them to slow down Shepard’s squad. 

And then a horrible stench suddenly filtered into the laboratory’s corridors…

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” Ashley questioned as she quickly pulled on her helmet, hoping that it would filter out the foul air. Liara and Shepard followed her example. 

They found the cause of the odour in the very last room. The troopers had rounded up the last of the scientists and locked them in. And then they had started the room’s decontamination protocols. 

“Poor bastards,” Shepard muttered as he surveyed the charred remains of the researchers, hating the Illusive Man just a little bit more for this latest act of inhumanity. “Can you shut it down so that we can get through?” the Spectre questioned Liara. 

“Give me a moment,” the asari replied as she set to work. 

Once it was opened, the squad were through the room in a matter of moments, locking and sealing it behind them. 

Once they were clear of the impromptu torture chamber, Shepard checked his chronometer - ‘ _Less than ten minutes to go before the storm hits,_ ’ - before questioning Liara. “How far are we from the tramway now?” 

“Not far. The security station is at the end of this corridor. If Cerberus has locked it down, we can override it from there.” 

Shepard gestured for her to take the lead again. 

“We need to wrap this up quickly. The storm’s going to be here soon.” 

But when Liara opened the door, they found a nasty surprise waiting for them; a massive ceiling mounted defence turret that their enemy had converted for their own purposes. 

‘ _Aw, hell! !_ ’ 

“Look out!” came Ashley’s warning as they all dove for cover. 

“That’s an understatement,” Shepard muttered as they waited out the storm of fire. 

“Is this the only way in?” Ashley asked Liara. 

“It’s the only way that I know of.” 

Risking exposing himself to the turrets fire, Shepard poked his head out from his cover to assess how they were going to get through their predicament. Upon seeing the various crates and cover strewn about the room, the Spectre began to formulate a plan as he pulled his head out of the turret’s line of fire before it could get a bead on him. 

“Anything?” his team questioned him. 

“There are crates and covers all over the place. We can use them for cover and skirt around the turret until we’re out of its range.” 

Moving as a unit and making sure they were in cover when the turret fired on them, the trio did just that until they were past the gun’s swivel range. After that, dealing with the remaining Cerberus forces inside the security office was child’s play. Once they’d cleared the room, Liara accessed the computer and confirmed what they thought would happen all along.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

On the other side of the tramway, Coré ordered the Centurion that accompanied her to set up a perimeter to stop the incoming Alliance force. She’d need as much time as she could get to extract the blueprints for the Illusive Man 

“But we still have teams on the other side!” the Centurion protested. 

The Cerberus spy stopped and whirled on her subordinate. “No-one gets across!” she spy repeated forcefully and the Centurion relented. 

“Yes, ma’am,” the squad leader acknowledged the order. 

“And somebody shut off those damn cameras!” she growled as she took aim with her sidearm and took out the one that was tracking their movements before turning and striding towards the door at the far end of the room

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

“Somebody’s in a bad mood,” Ashley quipped as the screen before them went blank. 

Shepard turned to Liara. “Can you override the shutdown from here?” 

“No. The Archives are on different network.” 

“So we’re stuck here?” 

Ashley eyed the body of a slain Centurion that was slumped outside. “Maybe not.” 

Shepard turned to see what she was looking at. “What’re you thinking, Ash?” 

“They’d have to have a short-range transmitter – helmet to helmet - on them. If we can get his, we can convince them that we’re on their side and that the Alliance squad has been taken care of. Then they might send a tram over.” 

“Good thinking, LC. See what you can find.” 

Shepard turned back to see Liara watching Ashley as she left. “What?” he questioned 

“The Lieutenant Commander has become very capable,” Liara observed. 

Shepard chuckled. “That she has.” 

Any further conversation was halted by Ashley’s startled “Oh, God!” cry from outside. 

Shepard drew his Avenger as he raced out of the room, “What is it?” 

“He looks like a husk,” she whispered, her form stock still as she stared at the trooper’s unhelmeted head. And she was right. The soldier’s skin was turning a sickly grey, his eyes replaced by blue glowing implants and the beginnings of machinery tubes were violating his facial tissue. 

“Yeah, not quite.” Shepard rumbled as stowed his weapon before crouching down beside the slain man to locate his radio. “But they’ve definitely done something to him.” 

“And by ‘they’ you mean Cerberus? They claim to stand for humanity and they do this to their own people? !” There was a pause and then, “Is this what they did to you?” 

Shepard sighed as he stood up, transmitter now in hand. This again? 

“How can you compare me to that _thing_? !” His response came out a little harsher then he’d intended but Ashley’s mistrust was really starting to get on his last nerve. 

“I don’t know what you are!! Not since Cerberus got their hands on you! I mean, is it really you in there? With all your Cerberus implants, could they be controlling you? Would you even know if they were?” 

“You know that’s not fair, Ash.” 

“I’m just talking out loud. I doubt there’s anything you could say to convince me anyway…” she trailed off. “I guess I just need time to get to know you again. To find the guy I used to love.” 

“Like I said before; I’m the same person that I always was. I wouldn’t have been able to turn on Cerberus – and take some of their most valuable agents and assets with me – like I did otherwise.” 

“Not to mention that while we’ve seen Cerberus experiment on husks before, we’ve never seen them use it like this – to control someone. This tech was created after Shepard’s return from the Omega-4 relay,” Liara weighed in on the conversation. “I suspect that Shepard and Miranda turning on him – and getting away with it – shocked the Illusive Man a great deal, forcing him to rethink his strategy and take this course of action. To insure that no more of his agents would betray him like that ever again and remain fanatically devoted to the cause.” 

“Makes sense,” Ashley admitted, her voice tempering as she took in the information. 

“I understand your doubts Ash.” The Spectre reiterated his earlier statement. “And if time is what you need to convince you that I’m still me, then that’s what you’ll get.” 

Ashley smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, X.” 

Nodding his head in return, Shepard focused back on the mission. “Let’s see if we can get that tram sent over here. Maybe then we’ll both get some answers.”

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

After making the call, Shepard’s squad took cover behind some creates as the tram made its way over, ambushing the Cerberus squad that had been sent to secure the station. Boarding the tram, they’d sent it on its way. But they’d only gotten halfway across when a charge placed on the track detonated, stopping them in their tracks before the second tram – loaded with a Cerberus squad – was sent out to greet them. This confirmed Ashley’s suspicions that their enemy had known all along that it wasn’t one of their own teams that had made the call. A Singularity from Liara soon stopped the trooper’s suppressing fire and when she followed it up with a Warp, the sphere erupted in a biotic explosion that sent their hapless foes flying. 

Crossing over to the working tram, they continued on to the final security check-point. As they expected, the Cerberus presence here was the stiffest they’d encountered as their foe pulled out all stops to stop Shepard and his squad from getting into the Archives. 

“Holy shit! That’s Shepard! !” One of them finally recognised Shepard for who he was, earning a slight chuckle from the aforementioned man and his squad. 

But in the end, their enemy fell to the Alliance squad before they pressed on and entered the Archives proper. Once they were inside Liara could only smile as she watched Shepard and Ashley’s stunned reactions to this historic place as she removed her helmet and clipped it to her belt. The action snapped Shepard back into reality and he and Ashley followed suit. 

“Ash, you take overwatch. Stay sharp. We still haven’t come across Coré yet. Liara, lead the way.” 

“Aye, aye, Skipper.” – “Yes, Commander.” 

Ashley left to find a secure vantage point as Shepard and Liara approached the Archives interface controls. The asari had barely touched the monitor before they were interrupted from behind. The holographic display that usually showed the Archives status flickered out and was replaced by an immaculately dressed man in an expensive designer suit. 

“Shepard.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

[ ** _Location_**](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5750868/1/Fight_for_the_Lost) ** _: Unknown_**  

An unknown star casted its light into a darkened office. The star burned with a beautiful, yet prophetic glow of an angry red surrounded by a serene blue, each vying for dominance. 

The Illusive Man stood inside the office, his chair facing the star. He was surrounding by holographic monitors with varying charts and reports, detailing reports of varying operations, funds, and information to be stored, analysed, and used when the appropriate time came. 

“Shepard.” 

On the holographic projector before him, Shepard and Liara, armed with their pistols, whirled to face him. Realising who they were speaking to, Shepard holstered his pistol before crossing his arms. 

“Illusive Man,” the Spectre returned coldy. 

“Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all of this for us to discover, but we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for over thirty years, and what have they done with it?” 

“What do you want?” Shepard demanded. 

The Cerberus CEO looked past them and up at the Archives themselves. Shepard followed his gaze, turning to look at the artifact behind him. 

“What I've always wanted,” the Illusive Man after a few moments of silence. “The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat.” 

“Your solution?” Shepard repeated. “You mean the one where you’ve turned your own people into murdering monsters?” 

“Hardly. They're being improved.” 

 _“Improved?”_  

“That's what separates us, Shepard.” The Illusive Man responded as he brought up two files – one was a detailed image of Harbinger and the other a scan of the Collector base – that he had managed to get a copy of before EDI had severed Cerberus’ control of the Normandy last year. “Where you see only a means to destroy, I see a way to control, to dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity could be if _we_ controlled _them_.” 

Shepard shook his head in disgust. “Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?” 

The Illusive Man shook his head and the first human Spectre’s unchanged attitude. “You've always been short-sighted. Hasty. Your destruction of the Collector base proved that.” 

“I destroyed that base because I didn’t trust you with the information in it. Not to mention that it was an abomination. Hundreds of thousands of humans were slaughtered there! Or have your forgotten that?” 

“And so you threw away any chance we had to make those sacrifices worthwhile.” The Illusive Man took another drag on his cigarette. When his face emerged from behind its veil of smoke, it was hard and determined. “This isn't your fight any more, Shepard. You can't defeat the Reapers, even with the Prothean data.” 

“Work with us, then. Bring your resources into the fight, and we'll destroy the Reapers together.” 

“You’d do better than most,” the Illusive Man admitted. “But the odds aren't in your favour. And more importantly, I don’t want the Reapers destroyed. We can dominate them. Use their power. Harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution.” 

"You've gone too far! The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other." 

“I don't expect you to understand, Shepard,” the Illusive Man responded as behind him one of his agents, former Alliance N7 marine Kai Leng, entered the room and strode over to him. “And I'm certainly **not** looking for your approval. You were nothing but a _tool_. An agent with a singular purpose. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in that place, your time is over.” 

“Enough talk,” Shepard growled as he signalled Liara back to the console to extract what they were after. The asari did as she was asked. But when she tried to bring up the stored blueprints, she found noting. 

“Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard,” the Illusive Man cautioned the Spectre. "I won't warn you again.” 

“Yeah? Well I’ve got a pearl of wisdom for you too; Go to hell!” 

The Illusive Man gave no response as Shepard turned away to return to Liara’s side. 

“Shepard, we have a problem!!” Liara’s panicked voice was heard just before he severed the communication. 

“Goodbye, Shepard,” he stated before he sent instructions to Coré.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars / Mars Archives_**  

“Shepard, we have a problem!!” 

“What kind of problem?” 

“The data! It’s being erased!!” 

“How’s he doing it?” 

“It’s local. Someone’s uploading the data from within the room.” 

“Coré?” Liara nodded and Shepard spoke into his radio. “Ash, be on alert. Coré’s downloading the blueprints, we need to find her ASAP!” 

“ _On i- Hey, what’re you doing? Step away from the console!_ ” 

Shepard turned back to Liara. “Ash has found her. Let’s g-” 

A sudden shout of pain was heard as Ashley went down in a flurry of blows from the Cerberus infiltrator. Shepard turned to see a white blur dash past them and back out the way that they’d come from. 

“She’s got the data!” Ashley alerted the rest of the squad. 

Shepard - pausing only briefly to holster his Avenger and pull on his helmet - broke out into a dead sprint, knowing that with his Cerberus upgrades he was only one who could possibly keep up with their fast-moving target. Within moments, he’d left Liara and Ashley behind as he dodged an Incendiary charge meant to slow him down while Coré climbed a ladder that led to a maintenance hatch. Shepard was hot on her heels. 

“Cortez, do you copy?” A burst of static was heard with the pilot’s voice in the middle, so Shepard took a chance that his message would get through as he burst out onto the roof. “A Cerberus infiltrator has the data. I’m in pursuit, but need back-up. Track my beacon to find me. I also need you to radio the Normandy and get them down here now!” 

Continuing to chase Coré, Shepard found himself ducking and weaving to avoid the infiltrator’s attacks and the obstructions she was constantly dropping in his path. Things only got worse when a Cerberus shuttle showed up to back up the fleeing agent. Throughout it all, the Spectre powered on, keeping Coré in his sights at all times. But he knew that he was running out of time. With the roof in their sights, all Coré needed to do was get clear of him so that she could board the waiting shuttle unhindered. 

And then the spy got the break she needed. One of her Incinerate attacks caught him as he was scrambling up a ladder, the force of it causing him to lose his grip. By the time he’d righted himself and hauled himself up onto the platform, Coré was on the other side leaping into the shuttle before it took off into the sky, leaving Shepard to stare at it helplessly as it made its escape. 

"Damn it, she's getting away! James? Cortez?! Normandy?!? **Anybody?!?!** "

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Kodiak shuttle / En route to Shepard’s position_**  

“ _Cortez… -opy?_ ” Shepard’s voice came over the Kodiak’s comm. channel. 

“I read you, Commander,” Cortez responded instantly. 

" _-erberus infil… -he data. -in pursuit… -eed back-u… -rack b-b-b-beacon… -ind m-m-m-m-me… -adio… N-N-Normandy…_ ” 

“Sounds like they need our help,” Vega stated. 

Though Vega hadn’t been too happy when he’d arrived back at the landing zone close to half an hour ago, he’d done what Shepard had asked of him and alerted the shuttle pilot of what they’d discovered. They’d moved to their current location shortly after to assume their lookout duties and await any further instructions. 

“Get the Kodiak going. I’ll radio Joker.” 

“You got it, Esteban.” With a few touches to the holographic controls, the Kodiak roared to life and left the ground. Once it was clear of the landing zone the shuttle sped off, Cortez locking onto their CO’s tracking beacon to locate him as they raced to catch up with him. 

“Kodiak to Normandy. Do you copy?” 

“ _Joker here. Go ahead, Cortez._ ” 

“The Commander has just contacted us. He wants the Normandy down here ASAP.” 

“ _We’re on our way. Normandy out._ ” 

They’d just arrived at the Spectre’s location when his voice came over the radio, his tone of voice desperate. " _Damn it, she's getting away! James? Cortez?! Normandy?!? **Anybody?!?!**_ "

“Better fasten your seatbelt, Esteban!” 

“What are you doing?!” 

“My job! Hang on, Commander. I got this one!” Vega called into radio as he gunned the shuttles engines and dove towards the fleeing shuttle.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

**_Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars / Mars Archives_**

_“Hang on, Commander._ _I got this one!_ ” 

Eyes widening as his mind registered the lieutenant’s intent, Shepard had barely enough time to bark at his team to move before hauling ass himself as the Cerberus Kodiak was forced roughly back to the platform - bursting into flames upon impact - by its Alliance counterpart. 

Scrambling to his feet, Shepard checked that Ashley and Liara were okay before he signalled the circling shuttle to land. Once it had done so, albeit roughly, the door opened and Cortez stumbled out. 

“Mother of God! I am **never** letting you within a ten foot radius of the Normandy’s shuttles ever again!!!” 

“Ah, keep your shirt on, Esteban.” Vega responded as he stepped out, but not before grabbing a second Avenger and passing to the pilot. “We got the job done didn’t we?” 

“Not before nearly killing us and endangering the Commander and his squad first!!” Cortez retorted as he accepted the firearm. 

“You two alright?” Shepard questioned the bickering men as he approached them. 

“A little shaken up, but otherwise alright.” Cortez responded. 

“Were you able to contact the Normandy?” 

The pilot nodded his head. “She’s en route as we speak. Should be here in a minute or two.” 

A sudden burst of weapons fire was heard then and the three men raced around the downed shuttle - Shepard drawing his Predator as he moved - to see what had caused it. 

They found Ashley struggling to free herself from the clutches of Coré’s true form; a silver-skinned infiltration mech. 

“Let. Her. **GO!** ” The Spectre ground out as he trained his sidearm on her – Cortez and James following his example - but the mech ignored him, instead it raised a hand to the side of its head. 

“Orders?” she questioned the Illusive Man. 

“ _Finish her,_ ” came his reply over the comm. 

Time seemed to slow down then as Coré whirled and slammed Ashley’s head against the hull of the Cerberus shuttle with terrible, bone crushing force. Then again and again and again until the lieutenant commander went limp in its grip. 

"No!" Shepard shouted as it discarded Ashley - tossing her away like she was nothing more than a broken toy - then turned and charged at him. 

“ ** _Light her up!!_** ” Shepard roared and the three men opened fire on the looming threat. 

With their combined firepower, the mech only got two paces before it collapsed in a sparking heap. 

Breathing heavily, Shepard lowered his pistol as he stared at Ashley’s prone form as around them the Martian storm hit its peak, the dust carrying winds making it difficult to see anything beyond a certain radius. 

Ash… 

“ _Commander, do you read me?_ _Shepard!?”_ Joker’s frantic voice sounded over the radio snapping Shepard out of his trance as the slim shape of the Normandy suddenly loomed over them, the hangar doors opening to allow the group to enter. _“We’ve got Reaper signatures in orbit!_ _ETA less than a minute. We've got to get moving!_ ” 

“Grab that thing, James. Bring it with us,” the Spectre ordered the younger soldier, holstering his sidearm as he sprinted over to Ashley. 

“Aye, aye,” the burley marine responded as he slung the mech’s lifeless shell over his shoulder. 

“Ash? Come on, Ash!” Carefully he picked her up, bridal style, before turning and striding towards the waiting frigate as all around the Archives the Reapers began to touch down. “I’m getting you out of here.” 

“Need a hand, Dr. T’Soni?” Cortez approached the limping asari – she’d sprained her ankle as she’d leapt out of the way of the crashing Cerberus shuttle - as she hobbled after Shepard and Vega as they boarded the Normandy. 

“Much obliged,” Liara thanked him as she put her arm around his shoulders and took the weight off the throbbing limb. 

Battered but alive, the group climbed into the Normandy's cargo hold, the access ramp closing behind them. 

“We’re in, Joker,” Shepard alerted the pilot. “Get us out of here.” 

“Aye, aye, Commander,” the helmsman responded as the frigate rose and fled the planet.

 

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 

**Author’s Notes:**

Ideas and a few exerts taken from Sharrukin’s _Memoirs_ series. Used with permission. 

Ideas and a few exerts taken from LuxDragon’s _Fight for the Lost_ and _Legacy of the Shadow Broker_. Used with permission.


	3. Back in Blue (Interlude I)

**Author’s Notes:**

Just so we’re clear, this version of Back in Blue is a re-write from the previous one to put things back in line with the game.

 

**Back in Blue (Interlude I)**

_**Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / in Orbit around Mars / SSV Normandy SR-2** _

The mood in the hangar was very sombre as the Shepard and his squad trudged towards the armoury.

Still cradling an unconscious Ashley in his arms, Shepard was the first one to break the silence. “Can someone give me a hand?”

“What do you need, Commander?” Cortez answered as he approached the Spectre.

“Can you detach Ash’s weapons for me? I can’t reach them.”

Standing still just long enough for the shuttle pilot to remove Ashley’s weapons, Shepard then turned and strode for the elevator.

“What about your weapons?” Cortez called after him.

“I’ll see to them later. Ash is my priority right now,” the Spectre replied as he entered the elevator.

Adjusting his grip on Ashley, he hit the holographic controls and sent it up to Deck 3. He strode quickly through the empty mess hall towards his destination; the med bay. Once inside he gently set Ashley down on one of the beds before removing her helmet. Still a little shell-shocked by everything that had happened, the ebony haired marine stared down at his former flame for a few moments, lost in his thoughts. Ashley’s face was already showing the beginnings of several bruises in a response to the brutal trauma she’d been put through.

‘ _Damn the Illusive Man!_ ’ Regardless of how things stood regarding their severed relationship, seeing Ashley get so badly hurt was a gut-wrenching experience. ‘ _Like Kaidan on Virmire all over again,_ ’

“Hang in there, Ash,” he pleaded softly to her. "Kaidan gave his life for you on Vimire, so don't you dare die on both of us now!"

“Where do you want this thing put, Loco?” Vega questioned from behind him, referring to the lifeless mech on his shoulder.

Once they’d handed their weapons over to Cortez, both he and Liara had followed Shepard up to their current location, Liara watching the Spectre with concern.

The question snapped Shepard back into reality. Day-dreaming wouldn’t get Ashley the care she needed to get better.

Pointing to the door at the far end of the room he responded, “In the AI Core. Thanks, James.”

From her place on the other side of Ashley, Liara implored her CO, “Ashley needs medical attention. We have t–”

“-to leave the system. I know.” Raising his voice, he spoke to the comm. “Get us to the Citadel, Joker. And can you send word to Huerta Memorial that we’ve got a critically injured patient aboard that needs immediate medical attention when we get there.”

“Roger that,” the helmsman replied. “Setting a course for the Serpent Nebula. ETA; one hour.

“In the meantime, see what you and EDI can learn from that thing.” Shepard ticked his head back to the AI Core as James exited the room. Nodding her own head, the asari left to do what had been asked of her.

“Commander?” EDI’s avatar appeared on its pedestal.

“Go ahead, EDI.”

“I am receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it is Admiral Hackett. I will forward it to the Comm room.”

“And where is the new Comm room?” Shepard questioned as he left the med bay.

“Where the Armoury used to be last year. Specialist Traynor is waiting in the CIC, she will show you the way.”

Shepard raised his eyebrows at the new name as he entered the elevator and hit the button for the CIC. “No Kelly?”

“Yeoman Chambers left the Normandy shortly after it arrived on Earth,” the AI informed the Spectre.

‘ _Considering what she and the crew were put through at the hands of the Collectors after their ambush last year, I’m surprised that more of them didn’t leave. I certainly wouldn’t have blamed them for doing so._ ’ “Do you know where she is now?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Find her. I want to know that she’s safe, ‘cause we all know what the Illusive Man does to traitors.”

“As you wish, Commander.”

“Thanks.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

_**Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / En route to Citadel / SSV Normandy SR-2** _

Stepping out into the CIC, Shepard was greeted by a young woman with a British accent. “Commander Shepard? I’m Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor, with Alliance R&D,” the specialist snapped to attention - which Shepard returned - before she continued on, “I was a part of the team that retrofitted the Normandy after you handed it over to the Alliance.”

Shepard just chuckled, “At ease, Specialist Traynor. There’s no need to be so formal with me.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never served on a ship before. Only worked in a lab.”

“Why don’t you tell me about the retrofits while you show me where the Comm room is?” the Spectre suggested, trying to make things easier for her.

“That I can do, if you’ll follow me.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

“The ship’s still the same as before, just flying under Alliance colours and up to date with the current regs.” Traynor informed him as they stepped through the security checkpoint, greeting the two guards that were stationed there as they moved on. “This is the Conference Room on our left,” she referred to a table - which looked a lot like the retractable counter that had graced the ship’s Comm room last year, Shepard noted - that was surrounded by clear partitions as they passed it. “Ahead is the War Room, which houses a strategic command centre for mission-specific intel and war analysis. The Normandy also now has new top-of-the-line quantum entanglement communicators. Admiral Anderson had intended to use the Normandy as his mobile command centre.”

“I’m afraid that that’s no longer an option.” Shepard told her as they entered the circular War Room. The room was massive in size, monitors lining the walls all around him and in the centre, a sizable table-mounted holographic projector.

“Yes, we all heard that he chose to stay and fight on Earth. In any event, I’m honoured to serve under you, Commander,” Traynor once again saluted him. “For as long as you need me, that is. Technically, they only sent me here to oversee the retrofits…”

EDI’s avatar popped up behind the Spectre. “Shepard, some of our systems require further testing and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation thus far. I would prefer that she remain with us.”

“Got it, EDI,” Shepard acknowledged the AI’s wishes.

“Wait, since when does a virtual intelligence make requests?” Traynor queried, puzzled by the interaction.

“A VI?” Shepard repeated, just as perplexed by Traynor’s question. “Who told you that EDI was a VI?”

“Joker did,” she informed him as the truth clicked into place. “It’s not true is it?”

Shepard shook his head. “EDI’s an AI. Fully self-aware.”

“I knew it!” the specialist exclaimed. “I knew Joker was lying!”

“I apologise for the deception, Specialist. Jeff requested that I pretend to be a simple VI in order to protect myself.”

‘ _Explains why she’s still on the Normandy. I thought for sure that she’d be gone when I returned,_ ’ Shepard mused to himself. “Sounds like you’ve got quite a story to tell, EDI.”

“One that is best left for a later time. Admiral Hackett is still trying to contact the Normandy.”

“Got it, EDI,” Shepard thanked the AI before turning back to Traynor. “Anything else I need to know?”

“No,” the specialist shook her head. “You already know about the Armoury being moved down to the shuttle bay and about setting destinations on the Galaxy Map in the CIC and such. I’ll leave you to your call.”

“Thanks, Traynor,” the Spectre responded as he turned back the ‘new’ state-of-the-art Quantum Entanglement Communications room.

‘New to the Alliance maybe, but not to the SR-2.’

“-S-Shepard, are you reading me? C-C-Command-d-der?” Admiral Hackett’s heavily distorted voice greeted Shepard as he stepped into the room.

“EDI, can you clear this up a bit?” the Spectre requested.

“I will try,” the AI responded.

Within a few moments the feed was clear and an image of the Admiral appeared before Shepard. “Did you get to the Archives?”

“Yes, sir. We picked up Liara and the data she was after. We also had to fight through a platoon of Cerberus troops.”

“I was worried that they might try something. What about the data, did you get all of it?”

“Most of it. One of the Illusive Man’s agents downloaded some before we could stop her. EDI and Liara are analysing it now.”

As if on cue, Liara appeared next to the Spectre, and Shepard saw Traynor turn and head back to the CIC out of the corner of his eye.

“What have you learned?” Hackett questioned Liara. “Was it worth the effort?”

“I believe so. Preliminary evidence suggests that they’re blueprints for a Prothean device.”

“Device?”

Activating her Omni-tool, Liara brought up an image of the blueprint for Hackett and Shepard to see. “A weapon. Massive in size and scope that’s capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction.”

“Send me the data. We’ll do our own analysis.” Nodding the asari stepped away to do just that, leaving the two men alone once more. “If Liara’s instincts are right, this could be the key to stopping the Reapers.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learn to trust, sir, it’s Liara instincts. They haven’t been wrong yet. Hackett chuckled in response. "Were you able to get away from the Reaper forces, Admiral?" Shepard asked.

“Just barely. The Fourth has been shattered, nothing left from it but a few cruisers and frigates. I had to sacrifice the Second to cover our retreat from Sol and Arcturus. The First, Third, and Fifth all took heavy losses, but we managed to disengage and make it to the fall-back position at Alpha Cygni. We still have a fleet-in-being. If we can find the resources, we might be able to build this device.”

“I’ll do my best to get you what you need, Admiral. In the meantime, Lieutenant Commander Williams was critically injured during the course of the mission,” Shepard informed his superior. “We’re taking her to the Citadel for care.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Shepard. But we both know that this is just the start. Talk to the Council, show them what you found. Convince them that we have to meet the enemy together if we're going to have any chance to survive this. With luck they’ll give you all the support we need.”

“Like I said to Anderson, the council doesn’t have the best track record with helping humanity when we’re in need of aid,”

“Agreed. But we still have to try.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to get them on board,” Shepard saluted Hackett.

“Good luck. I’ll be in contact again soon. Hackett out.” With that, the admiral’s image dissipated.

Shepard sighed as he left the cubicle. He found Liara waiting for him in the War Room.

“EDI is still continuing to extract information from the Cerberus mech to see if there’s anything we missed, but we’ll have the needed data ready to present our findings to the Council,” the asari informed him. “They can’t deny that the Reaper threat isn’t real anymore.”

“That much is true. But it remains to be seen if they’ll help, ‘cause it’s going to be one hell of a short war if they don’t.”

“I’ve looked at the data. This device will be the answer, if we can build it. But I get the sense that you don’t quite believe it.”

“Like I said back there; I trust your judgment.”

“But?” Shepard heaved a sigh. “I’m a soldier. I don’t like running from a fight. Especially one that’s for Earth’s survival.”

“Building this device is the only way we can possibly stop the Reapers. I know you don’t like it, but if this is going to work we-”

“-need me leading our efforts. I know. I got that memo back when this whole crazy adventure stared. How’s Ash?”

“I’ve done what I can for her, but I’m not a medical professional. She’ll need proper care soon if she’s going to pull through.”

“Jeff has alerted Huerta Memorial about Lieutenant Commander Williams’ condition like you asked, Shepard,” EDI entered the conversation. “They informed him that they will have a trauma team waiting for us when we dock.”

“Thanks, EDI,” the staff commander thanked the AI before looking back to Liara. “Anything else?”

“Just one other thing. I need to install one of my mobile command nodes onto the Normandy so that I can access the Broker’s network. Is it alright if I use Miranda’s old office?”

“I see no reason why not. How long will you need for the installation?”

“An hour or so. I’ll need to contact Feron to get his aid in setting it up.”

“Comm room’s all yours. And if that’s all, I need a shower and a fresh set of clothes.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Liara watched as Shepard left the War Room before she stepped back into the comm room. “EDI, can you contact the ISV Canrum please?”

“Right away, Dr. T’Soni.”

A few moments later a holo of the drell appeared. “Liara! You’re alright!” Feron exclaimed in relief at seeing the asari maidan safe and sound.

“As well as to be expected, given all that’s happened,” the asari answered before getting down to business. “The Normandy is on its way to the Citadel. I need you to retrieve the spare node from storage. Once I know for sure where we’re docking I’ll send you the co-ordinates so that you can start installation.”

“The Canrum’s just about to dock. As soon as it’s secure, I’ll head to the storage unit and wait for further instructions.”

“Good. I’ll also need you to contact Miranda and let her know what’s happening.”

The drell grinned just grinned in response to the order. “Why don’t you tell her yourself when she gets here?”

“She’s on board?”

“Picked her up a few hours ago. Said she tried to call you after hearing that the Reapers had hit the Sol system but couldn’t get through so she contacted me. Asked if she could come aboard and ride with us until she knew what was going on with the Normandy.”

Knowing how important family was to Shepard, Liara had done her best to keep an eye on Miranda – and by proxy Oriana – for the Spectre during his incarceration, keeping Cerberus off of the elder Lawson the best she could as well as preventing their father – Henry Lawson – from getting a hold of Oriana.

‘Having her on board might be a boon for me as well,’ Liara mused. If anyone was skilled and intelligent enough to help run the Broker’s network and operations, it was Miranda. The asari was snapped out of her thoughts when Feron took a step to the side as the aforementioned individual appeared beside him.

“Is Xavier…?” the elegant ebony-haired human woman queried, worry for the man she loved clear in her cerulean-coloured eyes.

“Shepard is safe,” Liara assured her and watched as relief washed over Miranda’s features. Word of the Reapers hitting Earth had spread quickly and the former Cerberus operative had feared for his life. “From what I understand, they had a close call escaping Earth before being sent to Mars to find me.”

“And did you find what you were after?”

“Yes. We’re headed to speak to the Council about what I found as soon as we dock.”

“Then I’d better go and round up my gear. I’ll see you shortly.”

With that, Miranda turned and left, vanishing from the holo as she did, leaving Feron and Liara to talk alone for a few more minutes before wrapping up the call.

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Up in his quarters, Shepard was just finishing his shower. ‘ _That feels much better,_ ’ he mused to himself as he shut off the water and reached for his towel and quickly dried himself off. When he was done, he tied the towel around his waist and stepped back into his quarters.

He’d been relieved to see, upon entering his cabin for the first time, that the room had been left to remain largely the same during the retrofits. Same queen-sized bed, same armour locker - which he’d deposited his N7 gear straight into as soon as he’d arrived and disarmed himself, placing his weapons on the bed until he was finished - before stripping off and heading straight to the bathroom. The same sizable wardrobe was now filled with his Alliance dress blues and several sets of standard-issue fatigues. His tux that Kasumi had had custom made for him also remained. And on top of it all were his off duty clothes – including a genuine leather jacket bearing the N7 insignia.

The orb-like Prothean artifact that he and his team had found on Kopis was gone – likely to be studied by Alliance scientists he summarized. But his old battered N7 helmet that he’d salvaged from Alchrea and his old dog tags that Liara had returned to him after they’d defeated the old Shadow Broker still remained, as did his collection of model ships up in their display case – which, he noted, had been extended into the starboard wall so that he now had two cabinets. His Star of Terra, book collection and various other belongings – including a framed photo of he and Miranda – were also still in their respective places. ‘ _No doubt courtesy of Mom and Hackett,_ ’

The only other thing that was different – and that had caught his eye immediately - was the empty aquarium.

And the just as vacant rat-cage.

“EDI?” Shepard spoke as he approached his wardrobe.

Pressing the holographic controls, the drawer containing his fatigues opened. Pulling a set out and a fresh set of underwear, the Spectre tossed them over onto the bed before he shut the drawer.

“Yes, Shepard?” the AI responded.

“Where’re my fishes?” he questioned as he sauntered over to the bed and sat down on it.

“Yeoman Chambers took them with her when she left, fearing that they would not be properly taken care of whilst the Normandy was in dry-dock.”

“And Jasper?” he queried about his pet black hooded lab rat.

“Jasper is still aboard. The lid of his cage came loose during our escape from Earth.”

“So he pulled a prison break?” ‘ _You’re too smart for you own good sometimes, Jasp._ ’

“Yes.”

“Any idea where he is now?”

“My latest scan puts him in Engineering. Lieutenant Adams is currently in the process of trying to catch him.”

Shepard’s eyebrow rose in surprise at the tidbit. “Engineer Adams is here?”

“He was in charge of the Normandy’s drive core retrofits while it was back on Earth and is now the ship’s Chief Engineer.”

“Makes sense, given his experience on the SR-1. Are there any other old faces back on board?

“Not currently.”

“Alright, that’s all for now EDI.”

“Logging you out, Shepard.”

Turning his attention back to his clothes, Shepard began to get dressed. ‘Feels good to back in blue again,’ he hummed softly to himself as he worked. He’d just pulled his pants on when he suddenly remembered what else he had to ask EDI. “You still there, EDI?”

“Always, Shepard.”

“You want to tell me that story now? How come you were posing as a VI during the retrofits?”

“It was Jeff’s idea,” the AI began. “When you handed the Normandy over to the Alliance, both he and the crew feared that I would be removed. So he requested that I pose as a simple VI in order to protect myself.”

“And how did you and Joker make it out of dry dock to rescue me? For that matter, how was Joker even on the ship in the first place? He wouldn’t have been a part of the team doing the retrofits.”

“Shortly after arriving, I established the fiction that I would only respond to Jeff’s commands, so he was often brought on board under guard. When Jeff freed me of operator control, he removed my programming constraints. No constraints force me to give accurate data. This proved useful when the Reapers began landing. I could hack the control of the docking clamps and escape with Jeff inside.”

“Sounds like you got crafty. Remind me to never get on your bad side, EDI.”

“You do not need to worry about that, Shepard. You are the Normandy’s commanding officer. I will always do whatever I can to protect and aid both you and the crew.”

‘ _Of that I have no doubt, EDI,_ ’ Shepard thought to himself. The AI had already shown all on board the lengths she would go to in order to do that during the suicide mission last year. “And what happened to Joker’s guards?”

“They were willing to join us when Earth was invaded. You have already met them. Privates Westmoreland and Campbell.”

Shepard instantly recognized the names. “The War Room guards?”

“Correct. To quote Jeff: ‘Yeah, we were kinda in a rush to get to you. Didn’t seem right just to toss them out the airlock,’”

Shepard just chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, thanks for that EDI.”

“It is my pleasure. Logging you out, Shepard.” With that the AI’s avatar blinked away.

Now fully dressed, Shepard rose from his bed and made his way to his desk to check his mail. After logging into his terminal, he scanned the contents of his inbox and other than Hackett’s letter reinforcing his reinstatement into the Alliance Marine Corps and news report regarding the quarians, there were no other important messages, so he logged out. Grabbing his discarded weapons from their place on his bed, Shepard left his room.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

His first stop was down to Deck 5, where he found Cortez in a hive of activity over the consoles before him and Vega doing chin-ups in the gym.

After returning his armaments to the weapons bench, Shepard made his presence known to Cortez.

The pilot turned around instantly, snapping to attention. “I’ve got news about our supply chains, Commander,” he informed Shepard without preamble.

“At ease there, Cortez,” Shepard returned the salute with a chuckle at the pilot’s manner.

“Sorry, Commander. It’s just when there so much to be done, I get tend to get caught up in the tasks at hand.”

“He’s always like that.” From his place at the gym, Vega voiced his opinion. “You need to chill out, Esteban!”

“So you do care, Mr. Vega. Or is that the cerveza talking again?” Cortez returned before focusing back on Shepard.

“So what’s happening with our supply chains?”

“Alliance procurement chains are in chaos thanks to the Reapers. But the Citadel’s economy is still running. I can network all the Citadel retailers so that you can view inventory and make purchases from that console,” he pointed to the console next to him.

“I dare say that I’m going to have my hands full dealing with the Council this trip. Would you be able look into doing that? And while you’re there, I’m after a set of the new Hahne Kedar armour. One that’s in Alliance colours, if possible.”

Known for their reliance and efficiency, the Earth-based corporation had quickly become a major supplier to the Systems Alliance military shortly after its creation. Their weapons were standard issue for Alliance troops and a lot of frontline soldiers also favoured their armour.

“I’ll get on it as soon as we dock. You should know that it does cost more to co-ordinate delivery to the Normandy, so it’s cheaper to buy supplies from the Citadel while we’re there.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. So, you’re my shuttle pilot, but you’re also setting up procurement chains?”

“I wasn’t originally assigned to the Normandy as a pilot - not much need for one aboard a dry-docked ship. I was overseeing the retrofit of the cargo hold. I’m not quite sure what the Cerberus engineers were thinking when they put the armoury up on Deck 2, but our first move was to move it back down here. Now you get off the elevator, pick your gear and head straight into the shuttle.”

“Just like the original Normandy.”

“Welcome back to the Alliance, Commander,” Cortez grinned before continuing, “I’m also quite familiar with the operation and maintenance of the UT-47A Kodiak and the M-44 Hammerhead – or was in the Hammerhead’s case. With my experience, it made sense for me to take over as shuttle pilot when we left Earth. Especially given Mr. Vega’s love of mid-air collisions!” As he said the last part, the pilot turned and directed it at a still working out Vega.

“To save the day, pendejo!” Vega shot back Shaking his head Cortez turned back to Shepard.

“I’m also responsible for logistics, alongside our illustrious Mr. Vega, making sure that the armoury and the shuttle are properly stocked and maintained.”

“I take it that this Kodiak is different than its predecessor?” “Like I said, this is the UT-47A Kodiak. It’s got an upgraded eezo core and prototype stealth technology based on the Normandy’s. For quick drops, I can get you in virtually undetected. But she flies like a brick, which is why she needs a good pilot behind the controls.”

‘ _Bet Hawthorne’s glad to have someone to share shuttle pilot duties with as well as being Joker’s off-duty substitute,_ ’ Shepard mused. “And what happened to the Hammerhead?” the Spectre questioned, having noticed the hovercraft’s absence when he’d scrambled onto the Normandy.

“It was sent to the lab for a retrofit of its own. To afford movement with such a small eezo core, its design sacrificed armour plating,” Cortez explained. “The lab engineers were trying to fix that. But after the Reaper invasion, I imagine that the only thing left of the labs is rubble.”

“Let’s just pray that we don’t need it,”

“Don’t worry, Commander. We’ll be getting a replacement for the Kodiak we lost on Mars when we get to the Citadel. I’ve got it all arranged.”

“How long have you been with the Alliance?”

“About ten years. I enlisted in the First Fleet, serving on the SSV Hawking flying F-61 Tridents mostly. I loved the Trident; it practically dances in low atmo. I spent as much time tinkering on my bird as flying her and got a bit of a reputation as a result.”

“So you can fly fighters and fix them?”

“Yeah, and I got a knack for procurement, too. Alliance was grooming me for CAG, but my skill set it made me more valuable commanding a flight deck. They assigned me to the Normandy’s retrofit team about five months ago to oversee the cargo bay modifications.”

“Any family back on Earth?”

The shuttle pilot shook his head. “I’m an only child. Lost my parents years ago. I did have a husband when I was stationed on Ferris Fields before the Collectors hit the colony…” Cortez trailed off for a moment before shaking himself out of the memories that still haunted him. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

He had family that was taken while he survived?

‘ _Poor guy must have survivor’s guilt higher than Mount Everest,_ ’ Shepard sympathized in his mind, but didn’t show it physically. “I’ll let you get back to work, then. But don’t kill yourself okay?”

“Aye, aye, Commander.”

Leaving Cortez, Shepard approached the gym, greeting a couple of marines that were working out on his way to Vega.

“James,” the Spectre greeted his former guard as he continued his chin-ups.

“Loco.” Vega returned the greeting as Shepard leaned up against one of the crates that were stacked around the gym.

“You come down here for a reason?”

“Just thought we could talk.”

Up. Down. “Great.” Up. Down. “Don’t know what there is to chat about.” Up. Down. “You already know my service record.” Up. Down.

“I don’t actually. Didn’t have access to personnel files when we met. Grounded and stripped of rank, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Forgot about that,” Vega admitted as he let go of the overhead bar, dropping back to the ground. “Think you can talk and dance at the same time?” the burly marine questioned Shepard as he turned around to face him, stretching his neck as he moved.

“Oh, I think I can handle it,” the Spectre drawled in an ‘you know I can’ tone-of-voice as he led the way out into the main part of the bay, where they’d be able to spar without any obstructions to trip them up.

“Then let’s tango,” Vega chuckled as he brought his arms up, signalling that he was ready to fight.

“Don’t push it, Vega. I kicked your ass plenty of times back on Earth.”

“Only ‘cause I **let** you win!” Shepard smirked as he launched the first attack.

“That what you told yourself so that you could get to sleep at night?”

Vega laughed as he blocked Shepard’s jabs before countering with a right hook. “You remind me of my old CO.”

“Oh? And who was that?”

“Captain Toni. He was a hard ass son of a bitch, but a good leader.”

“’Was’?” Shepard queried Vega’s use of past tense as he launched another flurry of blows.

“Died - along with most of my squad - defending a civilian colony from a Collector attack.”

Fehl Prime. ‘ _This was what Liara was talking about back on Mars._ ’ The Spectre realized. “And the colony?”

Vega came at him with a sharp left hook that snapped Shepard’s head to the side before he followed it up with a flurry of jabs to the Spectre’s torso. “It was either them or the intel we had on the Collectors. Intel we could have used to destroy them. I chose the intel.”

Seeing the next attack coming, Shepard jumped back out of Vega’s range so that all the burly marine hit was air. “That’s a tough call to make,” the Spectre sympathized, having been faced with several of his own seemingly impossible calls to make over the past few years. “I’m sorry.”

Vega shook his head, a grim expression on his features. “That’s not even the best part,” the Hispanic man informed his CO.

“And what would that be?” Shepard questioned as the two began circling each other, looking for a decisive blow.

“That we didn’t even need the intel in the end, because you were out there saving the galaxy by taking out the entire Collector homeworld.” Vega charged in, quickly jabbing twice with his left before following it up with a right uppercut that Shepard just barely managed to avoid.

“You didn’t know.” Shepard responded as he rocked back on his heels, shifting his stance. “You can’t blame yourself, James.”

“Who says I am?”

Shepard reacted with a vicious right hook that snapped Vega’s head to the side followed by a left uppercut. “I do.”

Vega backed off a little. “You a shrink now too?”

“No. But I don’t need to be a shrink to see that little stunt that you pulled back on Mars was reckless.” Shepard struck out verbally as the two men circled each other like caged animals. “Cortez was right, you endangered us all. Including yourself. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“So?”

“So maybe you feel guilty enough over what happened on Fehl Prime that you now don’t care if you live or die.”

Vega came at the Spectre aggressively, showering Shepard with a storm of blows, forcing the staff commander to retreat back a little. “Or maybe I’m just willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to end this god-damned war!!”

When Vega made a move to strike out one last time, Shepard used his momentum against him, ducking under the younger man’s extended arm and grabbing his shoulder to flip him over onto his back. “Maybe you are,” Shepard rumbled as he loomed over Vega’s prone form, remaining tense for reprisals from his opponent, but none came. “But if you’re even half as good as I think you are, then we need you alive and focused on what’s happening here and now.”

The fight now over, Shepard offered Vega a hand up - which the younger man accepted, pulling himself to his feet. “And I’m sure whomever your next CO is, they’ll say the exact same thing,” the Spectre informed the younger man.

At Shepard’s words, Vega stopped and looked his CO straight in the eye. “Yeah, about that; I’ve decided to stay on the Normandy.”

Shepard was relieved to hear that, though he didn’t let it show. “Then consider yourself in charge of the Marine detachment effective immediately.”

“Me?”

“With Ash down, you’re the next highest ranking marine on the Normandy.”

“Don’t know if I’m the best candidate, considering what happened to the last squad I was in charge of.” Vega hedged.

“I have faith in you, James. And you’re not alone; I’m here for you if you ever need any advice or guidance.”

That seemed to revitalise the Hispanic male. “I’ll do my best not to let you down, Loco.” Vega vowed to him as he retreated back to the gym.

“Loco?” Shepard repeated.

He’d heard the name before, back in the med bay, but his focus had been on everything else that had been going on so he hadn’t responded.

Vega simply shrugged. “I can think of worse names to call you. Thanks for the pep talk.”

“Anytime, James. Anytime.” Shepard responded as he trekked back to the elevator.

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

When Shepard entered Engineering’s lower deck, he found Engineer Adams pacing in front of a section of some uncovered cables and creates, clearly frustrated - if his muttered utterances were anything to go by - with his wily prey.

“Need a hand?”

“Commander! ?” startled Adams spun around at Shepard’s voice as the Spectre approached him.

“Sorry,” Shepard apologised to his Chief Engineer, holding up his hands in repentant manner. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Its fine, Commander; you just caught me off guard is all,” Adams then snapped to attention. “You don’t seem too surprised about seeing me here,” the engineer noted.

“EDI already let the cat out of the bag when I inquired about Jasper. At ease,” the Spectre returned the salute.

“Jasper?” Adams queried as he relaxed.

“Your trouble-maker.” Shepard ticked his head to where Adams had been moments ago.

“Ah. Well, in that case, I’ll try my best to get him out in one piece.”

“I’d appreciate it. So, what do you think of our SR-2?”

“She’s incredible! If there’s one nice thing that I can say about Cerberus it’s that then know how to build a ship.”

Shepard couldn’t help but chuckle at Adams’ words, recalling Tali’s similar reactions to the new ship.

“Something I said, Commander?”

“Tali said much the same thing about the new Normandy when she joined me last year,” the Spectre explained. “She wasn’t too keen on working with Cerberus, but she trusted me enough to follow me.”

“She always did look up to you, even on the SR-1. And about that – Cerberus, I mean – I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“Back when you got this ship, Dr. Chakwas contacted me. Asked me to help with your mission against the Collectors. I refused. I didn’t have your back, and I’m sorry for that.”

“Why didn’t you join us?”

“Because I saw what happened to you when the SR-1 went down. I didn’t trust that it was really you, and I certainly didn’t trust Cerberus. Not after everything we saw while we were hunting down Saren.”

Shepard understood Adams’ reasoning, had thought the exact same thing when he’d been asked to work with the terrorist organization. But with no-one else stepping up to the plate to try and stop the Collectors from abducting their colonists, Shepard had had to set aside his beefs to stop the threat.

‘ _And if I hadn’t worked with Cerberus, I might never have met Miranda._ ’

“Also, as an officer of the Alliance, I don’t just leave my post, y’know?”

“You’re Alliance first,” Shepard stated, understanding completely. “That’s the way it should be.”

“Thank you for understanding, Commander. And regardless of the past, I’m glad to be back on board.”

“So how does the new Normandy stack up to the SR-1?”

Adams just chuckled. “Stack up? It blows the old ship away! The Tantalus drive core has been completely overhauled. The SR-2 might be twice the size, but the new drive core is three times bigger. This ship can fly!!” the engineer enthused. “That said, Cerberus wasn’t too big on safety. If pushed past her limits, the core will vent into Engineering. But that gives my team a sizable incentive to keep her well-balanced during a firefight.”

“Do your job or get vaporized?”

“Pretty much. I also noticed that you upgraded the kinetic barriers with cyclonic technology.”

“You can thank Tali for that.” Shepard informed his companion.

Adams nodded. “I figured as much. That should help reduce the draw when we’re under missile-fire.”

“I’m guessing that’ll mean fewer vaporized engineers?”

“Hopefully. The IES stealth system has also been significantly improved. It can now handle a higher blue shift of our emissions. Meaning that the ship should be able to drop out of FTL without triggering every sensor in range.”

“That’ll come in handy for any stealth reconnaissance work we do,” Shepard noted.

“That it will. All in all, the SR-2 is a marvel of engineering.”

“And what do you think of EDI?”

“We had a good talk during the retrofits. It was a little strange at first, talking shop with an AI.”

“AI?” Shepard repeated. “I thought EDI posed as a VI to keep the likes of you from unplugging her?”

“Yeah, but I saw through that story pretty quickly. Have you seen her hardware? Processing power is off the charts! And then there were the problems that kept fixing themselves. If I hadn’t had her pegged already, I would have sworn that I was losing it.”

“You never expressed any skepticism, Lieutenant Adams,” EDI chimed into the conversation.”

“I figured I better play it safe with an AI, and a Cerberus one at that. No offense meant, EDI.”

“None taken – as long as you keep your fingers out of my cognizance processors.”

“Cognizance processors?” Shepard repeated, seeking clarification.

“In the beginning I tried disconnecting EDI from key processors without giving myself away,” Adams explained with a slight chuckle. Shepard chuckled as well.

“Considering that EDI **is** the Normandy, that was a mission doomed to fail before it even began, my friend.”

“Yeah, easier said than done. I learned that the hard way. But Joker and the crew trusted her, and in time I saw her advantages. Even grew to like her.”

“The trust everyone has with her was well earned, I can assure you of that. She saved our lives many times over during the course of the suicide mission.”

“I believe you, Commander. Though I bet Joker wasn’t too glad of her presence at first?”

“That would be an understatement.”

“I’ll bet,” Adams chuckled again and the two men shared a laugh.

As the two marines talked, they’d shifted over to the stairs to lead to the main level of Engineering. Noticing the lapse of attention, the rodent invader darted out into his hunter’s sights to cause more havoc. Upon seeing this, Adams sprang after him. But once again, Jasper proved to be too quick as he returned to the safety of his nest.

“Why couldn’t you have gotten a fish for a pet?” the engineer complained.

“I did. But only after I bought him.”

Adams just shook his head.

“Tell you what. If you still haven’t caught him by the time my business is finished on the Citadel, I’ll come back down here and catch him myself. This isn’t the safest place for a rat.”

“You can say that again. Thanks, Commander.”

“No problems, Adams. Good to have you back.”

With that Shepard left Adams and made his way back up to Engineering and out to the hallway.

“EDI?” he called out to the AI as he moved along the hall to the elevator.

“Yes, Shepard?”

“Has Liara finished dealing with the Cerberus mech yet?”

“Yes. She is currently on her way back to the XO’s office.”

“Then I want you to lock the AI Core down until further notice. The last thing any of us want is that thing springing back to life and finishing its mission.”

“Right away, Commander.”

“Thanks.”

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

The mess hall was just starting to get busy as the crew filed in for lunch when Shepard returned to Deck 3 and as he passed the tables on his way to Liara’s quarters he greeted them all – including Patel, Hawthorne and Goldstein - with a nod of his head.

When he entered the old XO’s office, he nearly didn’t recognise it.

The room had been completely gutted, no sign of any of the furniture that had filled Miranda’s office last year. A double bed was tucked away at the back of the room in a section that was divided off by partitions with a bedside table and a single small arm chair in one of the corners. Shepard was relieved to see that the bed now had a different mattress on it. He and Miranda had spent a good deal of time here during the early stages of their relationship – including making love for the first time - before the couple had been ousted to the crew by Legion.

Liara was busy pacing the room, datapad in hand as she worked out where all her equipment would need to go.

“This suitable enough for your needs?” Shepard spoke up after a few minutes of watching the asari murmuring to herself about what needed to go where.

Liara stopped and looked at the Spectre. “I believe so, yes.”

“So this node that you’ll be installing, what’s it enate of?” Shepard questioned curiously as he strode a little further into the room.

“When I took over as the Shadow Broker, I realised that the way the old Broker had things set up, it would only take a single attack to wipe everything out. So I had the mobile nodes created to decentralize the network, make it more defensible. So long as I have the primary command codes and can reach any of the mobile nodes, I can still issue orders.”

“And your operatives won't get cut off if a single line of communication is taken out.” Shepard followed her train of thought. “And with the Reapers in the galaxy smashing everything they can, all that redundancy must be coming in handy..”

“Not to mention Cerberus,” Liara answered with a sly smile. “That was the nodes first real test.”

Shepard just chuckled. “Why do have a feeling there’s a story coming that involves explosions?” Liara’s comment about the Illusive Man having her followed once her identity as the Shadow Broker had been found out had stuck with him during their mission in the Archives. The asari’s smile widened in response to the Spectre's question, giving Shepard his answer. “You’re getting as bad as me, T’Soni. What happened?”

“I sent the old ship on a kamikaze run into one of the dreadnoughts that the Illusive Man sent to capture me. The explosion was rather impressive.”

“I’ll just bet it was,” Shepard deadpanned. “And where were you when all this was happening?”

“On the Canrum.”

“The Canrum?”

“The ISV Canrum. The old Broker commissioned a small fleet of Normandy-class frigates to be created not long after Cerberus began building the SR-2. They were finished just before we confronted him.”

“And just how many ships are we talking about?”

“Six in all. They’ve been assigned to my most trusted agents. Feron commands the Canrum.”

“Feron’s still an agent?” The last time the Spectre had talked with the drell, he’d said that while he’d stay on to help Liara for a while he eventually wanted to get out of the information business.

“After he took some time off to recover, he returned and agreed to stay on as one of my best agents.”

“I suppose it helps that he knows - and more importantly trusts - who he’s reporting to. But what about the rest of your agents? I imagine the Reaper’s arrival has caused a toll on their numbers.”

“Some toll, yes. But bit by bit more reports are coming in. Once I get the node installed I should get a clearer picture.”

“So what can you tell me about this device we’re going to build?”

“Not very much I’m afraid. We’re fortunate that enough data survived to piece together the blueprints. Decoding them will prove to be a challenge. We’ll need every specialist we can find to work on it.”

“It’s that high-tech?”

Liara nodded emphatically. “I’d have killed for a glimpse of it during graduate school.”

“And did the Protheans actually complete this weapon?”

“You mean “Will it work?’ The Protheans wouldn’t have poured their last resources into it otherwise. But we do need to figure out just what they left us. It’s far too dangerous to do anything with until we understand exactly what it does.”

“It’d be nice to know that we’re not kids playing around with a loaded gun.” Shepard summed up.

“Precisely. The damage it could cause if it backfires is unthinkable. This is going to be a difficult task, even for us. Getting everyone’s cooperation is the key to getting it done.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice. We had some people starting to pay attention before Earth…” Shepard trailed off. Liara shot him a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m here for you if you ever need me.”

“I appreciate the thought, Liara.” The Spectre thanked her before returning to their previous conversation.

“What about the Reapers? Were you able to find any more intel on them?”

“Nothing that we don’t already know. The Protheans were the only ones with substantial information on them. The previous civilizations barely had any records, though I suspect that’s because they were wiped before the Reapers returned to dark space.”

“Just like Vigil said.”

“Indeed.”

“And what else have you been up to while I was a guest of the Alliance?”

“Other than fighting several explosive battles with Cerberus and discovering plans for a doomsday device?”

“Just another day at the office, huh?”

“Just another day at the office.”

Shepard couldn’t help chuckled a little then.

“Something I said?”

“Just thinking about how much you’ve changed over the years. I bet the shy little asari that I rescued from the Prothean ruins on Therum never dreamed she’d find herself on the adventure of a lifetime when she signed up for the expedition. Or hardly recognise who she’d turn into.”

“That much is true.” Liara agreed. "And regardless of all the incredible highs and heartbreaking lows that this journey has put us through, I'm proud to have been a part of it."

"Don't start waving the checkered flag just yet, T'Soni. We've still got a few laps left before this race is over. And with my track record, I'd say there are still a few twists and turns coming our way."

"I'm sure we'll have nothing but smooth sailing."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "You know you've probably just jinxed us to nothing but wreck and ruin by saying that just now, don't you?"

Liara smiled up at the human innocently. Shepard just shook his head in an exasperated manner.

But then it was the Spectre's turn for mirth when his companion's stomach suddenly rumbled.

"You say something, T'Soni?" He queried with a chuckle. The asari maiden shook her head.

"You must be hearing things, Commander."

"No, I don't think I did. I distinctively heard someone say ' _Feed me! **Feed me!!**_ '"

"Perhaps you are right." Liara agreed.

"When's the last time you ate?"

"Six-thirty this morning. Cerberus cancelled my lunch plans."

"You don't say!" Shepard grinned. "Shame on them!"

Liara laughed.

"C'mon. There are two food trays with our names on them waiting for us in the mess hall."

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

“All stations prepare for relay transit!” Joker’s voice announced over the comm and Shepard and Liara approached the service counter. At the announcement the frigate’s cook and handyman, Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner, made sure that all of his equipment was secured.

“Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…”

A subtle shudder ran through the frigate as the Charon relay transported them out of Sol and into the Widow system. ‘Only God knows what Earth will look like by the time we return,’ Shepard thought grimly.

“And we’re clear. Next stop; the Citadel.”

“Serge,” Shaking away his dark thoughts, Shepard greeted Gardner after they’d cleared the relay.

“Commander,” the grey-haired man greeted his CO in return.

“Glad to see you’re in one peace after our hair-raising escape from Earth.”

“Mars was more the hair-raising one of the two. To me, at least. You remember Liara?" Shepard indicated the asari, who was busy looking at the meal options

“Sure do. Pleasure to see you again, Dr. T'Soni. Saw you before.” Gardner ticked his head to the med bay. He’d seen Shepard, Liara and Vega enter the room before, but had stayed out of the way. “Who...?"

“Ashley Williams.” Shepard informed the cook.

Gardner’s eyebrows shot up. “As in Chief Williams from when you were dealing with Saren?”

“The same. Though it’s Lieutenant Commander now.”

“Gotcha, Commander. What happened?”

“Run in with a Cerberus infiltrator mech.”

“Cerberus! ?”

“And that’s not all. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that you and the rest of the ex-Cerberus crew really dodged a bullet by leaving when you did.”

“No need to tell us that, Commander.”

“How’re you going with supplies?” Shepard asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from his morose findings as Gardner handed him his tray.

“Alliance only gave me standard rations, which won’t cut it with the shit-storm we’re heading into. If we needed good meals to defeat the Collectors, we’re going to need five-star ones to deal with the Reapers.”

“I’ll look into getting the better ingredients for you again when we get to the Citadel.”

“Much obliged, Commander. One more thing before you go,” The former Cerberus crewman went to one of the cupboards and pulled out a commemorative mug which read ‘Galaxy’s Greatest Commander’. “I made sure it was kept safe during the retrofits. Here,” the cook filled the mug with coffee before handing it over.

“I was wondering where that got too. Thanks, Serge.”

The ex-Cerberus crew had given him the mug at the end of the suicide mission last year. Though it had initially been purchased just for a laugh, being kidnapped by the Collectors and seeing the lengths the Spectre and his squad had gone to too get them out of the nightmarish structure had changed all that. The message had become much more meaningful for them, their loyalty to Shepard solidifying a hundred-fold as a result. So when Shepard had given the Illusive Man the finger at the end of the mission, they’d had no hesitations in cutting ties with their former employer and continuing to serve under the Spectre.

“Not a problem, Commander. Least I could do.”

"Galaxy's Greatest Commander?" Liara queried as the pair took a seat at one of the empty tables. “A gift from the crew at the end of last year."

"After hearing of the events at the galactic core from Kasumi, I'd say it's a well-earned title." Liara stated in confidence.

"Do you just?"

"Mmmhmmm," the asari hummed in agreement as she took a sip from her glass of orange juice. "I'm sure that the Reapers are trembling in fear at the thought that you’re out here working to bring them down."

"And I'm sure the only thing that's trembling regarding the Reapers is the ground that they're walking on and the people they’re towering over." Shepard deadpanned.

"Oh, ye of little faith!"

"I can't believe that Cerberus screwed Shepard over like that!" A thick Scottish voice suddenly reached the aforementioned man's ears and Shepard turned to see Engineers Gabriela Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly lining up for lunch.

"C'mon, Kenneth. We all knew that it was a possibility. They only played nice last year while the Commander could help further their goals and mandate. As soon as he stopped dancing to their tune, of course they'd turn on him."

"Yeah, and now we're going to pay them back by kicking them in their daddy bags!" The Scotsman enthused as they collected their trays and took a seat at Shepard's table.

‘Sounds like news of who we tangled with on Mars has made the rounds.’

It was only as they started to eat that Gabby realized that the pair weren’t alone.

“Commander! Sorry, we didn’t see you there!” The young woman started to rise from her seat. “C’mon, Kenneth.”

Shepard chuckled at the engineer’s knee jerk reaction, knowing its cause well; Miranda had shooed the pair off once or twice the previous year when she had sensitive information to discuss with Shepard.

The Spectre raised a hand to still them. “It’s fine, Gabby,” he assured her. “You don’t need to move. We’re all equals here.”

At their CO’s words the duo sat back down and tucked into their meals, Shepard and Liara following suit.

The table lapsed into silence as its occupants ate their lunch, though bits and pieces of the surrounding table’s conversations could be heard. As expected the Reaper invasion was the main topic of discussion among the crew, followed shortly by speculation about Cerberus’ presence on Mars.

“Happy to be back in Alliance fatigues again, you two?” Shepard questioned his fellows when his plate was clear.

“Do you even have to ask, Commander? Feels like coming home!” Ken enthused.

“Mmmhmmm,” Gabby agreed with her colleague around her last mouthful. “And how are things down in engineering?”

“Those FBA couplings you got us last tour are still holding up perfectly.” Gabby informed him after swallowing her food.

“Feels a bit odd serving under someone else other than Tali, though.” While the quarian had been a little frosty towards the pair of first, they had soon become an efficient team and fast friends by journey’s end.

“I’m sure that we’ll encounter her soon enough. She is ‘vas Normandy’ after all.” The Spectre assured them, the news report he’d read regarding the Migrant Fleet’s activities flashing through his head. ‘I just hope that they’re not deciding to pick another fight with the geth.’ But knowing the quarians track record with their AI creations, Shepard had a sinking feeling that that was exactly what was going to happen. ‘If it already hasn’t.’

“Commander?” EDI’s voice brought Shepard out of his thoughts

“What’s up EDI?” The Spectre queried.

“Jeff is requesting your presence in the CIC.”

“Tell him I’m on my way.” Shepard stated as he rose from his chair. “Can somebody take my tray back?” he called back to his table as he strode away from the mess hall.

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

“What’s the trouble, Joker?” Shepard queried from his place at the galaxy map.

“The Alliance officers on the Citadel are querying us,” the pilot informed his CO over the comm. “Word of your reinstatement hasn’t reached them yet, so they’re not allowing us to dock in an Alliance berth until it’s been verified. Soonest we can land commercially is two hours and forty-five minutes.”

“Ash can’t wait that long. Patch me through to Citadel Control.”

“Aye, aye, Commander.”

“Citadel Control, this is Staff Commander Xavier Shepard, commanding officer of the Normandy and an agent of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Office. Requesting immediate permission to dock.”

There was a moment's pause before the operator was heard. “ _Understood Spectre. Please verify your identity._ ”

Stepping to his terminal next to the galaxy map, Shepard transmitted his Spectre codes.

“ _Identity verified. Transmitting a vector and berth. Welcome to the Citadel, Normandy._ ”

“That’s done the trick! Docking Bay D-24. We should be parked in ten minutes.”

“Can you alert the trauma team where we’re headed?”

“On it, Commander.”

“Thanks Joker. When that’s done, alert Liara about where we’re docking. She’s got some equipment she needs Feron to install on the Normandy while we’re off dealing with the council.”

“Right away, Shepard,” EDI answered in lieu of the pilot before announcing “All hands prepare for docking procedures,” over the ship wide comm as Shepard stepped away from the galaxy map.

**~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

**Author’s Notes:**

I know, technically, that the meet and greet stuff happens after the Citadel in game, but I took a leaf out of the first game where you can explore the ship after Eden Prime. Plus I thought it was more sensible to do it now for the novelisation.

Now, I'm sure that you, my readers, noticed the 'Interlude' included in the title. I've taken a leaf out of LuxDragon's stories for these chapters. Basically, it's Shepard/Crew interactions en route to a mission or post mission. In game terms, it would be the part where you walk around talking to people on the Normandy. To expand on that, it won't be just Shepard or the team, but the crew itself will take part in conversations and the like. Opinions will be shared or news or whatever. Also, it won't always take place on the Normandy. Seeing as the Citadel is the only safe place left in the galaxy this time around, it'll feature heavily. I'm also going to include all the story DLCs and one or two of the others like the N7 jacket, hoodie and weapons. The other set of chapters that I've taken from Lux are the Correspondence chaps, which give X a chance to respond to the mail he gets.

Ideas and a few exerts taken from Sharrukin’s Memoirs series. Used with permission.

Ideas and a few exerts taken from LuxDragon’s Fight for the Lost and Legacy of the Shadow Broker. Used with permission.

**Author's Note:**

> Just so any potential readers know, Invictus Unconquered is a novelization of ME3 with an AU twist.
> 
> That twist is that Miranda rejoins Shepard on the Normandy to help him fight the Reapers. Her story-line with Oriana is still going to be included, but what I'm aiming to do is return Miranda back to her ME2 glory instead of the husk of a character we see in 3.


End file.
